USC Professional Athletes

The Washington Mystics may be struggling to find wins, but USC alumna Kiki Iriafen is giving fans something to watch. Over back-to-back games against Atlanta, Iriafen delivered a pair of double-doubles that underscore her emergence as one of the more productive big-game performers in the league — even as the losses pile up around her.

On Sunday, September 27, Iriafen put up 15 points and 14 rebounds in a 77–92 home loss to the Dream, adding a steal in a game where Washington never found its footing. Three days later, she was even better on the boards. In a Wednesday rematch against Atlanta, Iriafen matched her 15-point output and hauled in a remarkable 16 rebounds — a performance that would command attention on any box score — but Washington again fell short, dropping a 75–93 decision.

The wins aren't there, but the numbers are. Back-to-back 15-point, double-digit rebounding games represent the kind of consistent production that's difficult to dismiss, regardless of team context. Iriafen's plus-minus figures — minus-17 on Wednesday, minus-11 on Sunday — tell the story of a team in trouble, but they don't diminish what she's doing individually against a competitive Atlanta squad.

For Trojans alumni tracking the WNBA, Iriafen is the marquee name to watch right now. The USC pipeline into professional women's basketball remains active across the league — Alissa Pili is suiting up for the Sparks, Rayah Marshall with the Sun, and Temi Fagbenle with the Tempo, among others — but it's Iriafen commanding the spotlight this week with the kind of performance that makes Washington's record all the more frustrating.

The Mystics' issues are a team problem. Iriafen's production is decidedly not.

Kiki Iriafen saved her best for last — and it was enough to send Washington to the postseason.

The USC alumna closed out the Mystics' regular season with back-to-back double-doubles that proved decisive in securing a playoff berth. On Sunday, Sept. 20, Iriafen led Washington past the Indiana Fever 93-77, pouring in 21 points and hauling down 14 rebounds as the Mystics built a 20-point first-half lead that Indiana never threatened. Then, in Thursday's regular-season finale against Chicago, she delivered again: 16 points, 15 rebounds, and a plus-12 in a 101-93 win over the Sky.

The performances helped Washington (27-17) clinch the No. 5 seed and a first-round playoff matchup against fourth-seeded Atlanta — and, critically, secured the tiebreaker over Indiana in the process. The Fever, who finished with the same 27-17 record, dropped to the No. 6 seed after losing the season series to Washington. That's a swing with real stakes: Indiana now faces a likely matchup against defending champion Las Vegas or Golden State instead of Atlanta.

Iriafen was quieter in the middle of the week — 4 points and 5 rebounds in Tuesday's 79-69 win over Connecticut — but her bookend performances defined Washington's closing stretch and made the difference in one of the tighter playoff races in the league.

Around the Rest of the Trojans

Rayah Marshall appeared in two games for a Connecticut Sun team that finished the week on the wrong side of results. The Sun fell to Washington 79-69 on Tuesday, with Marshall contributing 2 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and a block — but finishing a minus-5 in a losing effort. She went scoreless against Toronto on Thursday in a 95-81 Connecticut win, finishing minus-2. Marshall was listed as out heading into the week, per a Mystics-Sun preview, which makes her game-time appearances worth monitoring as the Sun enter their own playoff picture.

Kara Dunn logged 11 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal in Phoenix's narrow 87-86 win over Dallas on Tuesday — a bright individual performance in a week that ended with the Mercury falling to Las Vegas 100-82 on Friday. Temi Fagbenle and the Toronto Tempo had a tough run, dropping games to Chicago and Connecticut while Fagbenle's stat lines remained modest.

The headline, though, belongs to Iriafen. The former Trojan forward didn't just help Washington clinch — she rewrote the seeding map for the entire bottom half of the WNBA bracket with two dominant performances when the margin for error was zero. USC fans watching Sunday's Mystics-Dream first-round series will have plenty of reason to tune in.