The Washington Mystics' quest to win their first WNBA title came to an end Wednesday night, after dropping Game 3 in the best-of-five series to the Seattle Storm, 98-82, in front of a sellout crowd at George Mason's EagleBank Arena.
With star forward Elena Delle Donne hobbled by a knee injury suffered during Game 2 of the conference finals in Atlanta, the Mystics were unable to match the high level of play that saw them reach the first Finals in the franchise's 21-year history.
Seattle's Breanna Stewart, the WNBA's MVP for 2018, added Finals MVP to her resume after averaging 25.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists during the three-game sweep.
Stewart, who scored 17 of her game high 30 points in the first half, helped the Storm build a 47-30 halftime lead that put away the Mystics en route Seattle's third title in team history.
"Each (title) is special in its own way, but this one is probably going to have a different meaning for me," said 37-year-old Sue Bird, the only holdover from Seattle's previous two titles. Bird added 10 points and 10 assists in the deciding game.
But the future for the Mystics remains bright.
“We don’t feel like we peaked and this is it,” said Delle Donne, who scored 23 points in Game 3. "I think we’ve really grown this fan base. They’re behind us. They’re proud of us. They know we’re not satisfied, and we want to do more.”