Washington Mystics' Nigerian-born forward Kiki Iriafen became the only player to record 14 or more rebounds in her first two career WNBA play-off games, but her 16-rebound effort could not prevent a Game 2 defeat. Atlanta Dream completed a first-round sweep of Washington, winning 93-75 to advance to their first WNBA semi-final series since 2018.
Iriafen also became the 10th WNBA player to grab over 14 rebounds in back-to-back play-off games. The Dream's defence forced 19 turnovers and scored 23 points off them, while the Mystics forced just eight. All five Atlanta starters finished in double figures, with Allisha Gray's 22 points leading the way. Jordin Canada added a double-double of 19 points and 11 assists, Rhyne Howard scored 15 and Angel Reese had 15.
The physical encounter featured 53 fouls. Washington cut the deficit to single digits heading into the fourth quarter and hit 24 of 28 free throws, helping offset a 38 percent shooting performance. Iriafen helped the Mystics out-rebound Atlanta 42-27.
Iriafen grew up in Los Angeles in a Nigerian-American family, played at Harvard-Westlake School and was a two-time Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year. She played college basketball at Stanford and USC before Washington selected her fourth overall in the 2025 WNBA draft, where she made the All-Star team as a rookie and was later drafted by Phantom BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season. She debuted in senior United States action on March 12, 2026, with 10 points and five rebounds in a 91-48 win over Puerto Rico, and won gold at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin.
