Kiki Iriafen might still be a rookie for the Washington Mystics, but the former USC star has slowly made a name for herself in the league. Like many, she has her favorite players, and the Mystics forward revealed who hers is in an Instagram Story on Sunday.
Iriafen revealed that her favorite player is none other than her Mystics teammate Sonia Citron, who dropped a double double, 27 points and 11 rebounds, during their win against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. She called Citron “My fav player” on her Instagram story.
The Mystics rookie has developed a rivalry with Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers, whom she is competing against for that Rookie of the Year award. However, it was a close overtime win for Citron and Iriafen, outdueling their rival rookie, 91-88.
As for Iriafen, she also had a solid game, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals. It was her and Citron who led the Mystics’ late fourth quarter rally to force the game into overtime, and Washington still barely escaped with the win, especially after Bueckers exploded for 20 points, seven assists and nine rebounds.
Citron admitted that Paige Bueckers was a tough matchup for her and was all praises for the former UConn star.
“She can just do it all,” Citron said after the game, per The Washington Times. “She’s a three-level scorer. She’s just a very smart, all-around player. It’s hard to stop her.”
The Mystics snapped Dallas’ two-game winning streak and now go up the standings with six wins and eight losses.
Kiki Iriafen may take Rookie of the Year over rival Paige Bueckers
Meanwhile, with the Rookie of the Year race heating up, ESPN is projecting that the one winning the award would not be No. 1 Paige Bueckers, but No. 4 overall Kiki Iriafen. She leads all rookies at 145 points so far into the season, and this makes her the favorite to win.
“The No. 4 pick in April’s draft has started fast as a pro, shooting a higher percentage (51%) than she did as a senior at USC (50%). Per GeniusIQ tracking, Iriafen leads the WNBA in shots made and attempted in the restricted area around the basket.” said ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
“Many of those have come off second chances. Iriafen is close to averaging a double-double (14.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg), something just three true rookies in league history have done: Tina Charles, Cheryl Ford and Angel Reese,” he added.
Her teammate, Sonia Citron, is right behind her with 137 points, and her lead in the Rookie of the Year rankings comes after Bueckers missed four games this season, while she did not.
Related: ‘Beautiful Queens’ — Fans React as Kiki Iriafen and USC Teammates Show Off Nigerian Heritage
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