In a thrilling season opener that had fans on the edge of their seats, the Washington Mystics crashed the Toronto Tempo's debut party with a hard-fought 68-65 victory on Friday night. The game came down to the wire, with Shakira Austin emerging as the hero from the free-throw line.

With just 18 seconds left on the clock and the crowd of 8,210 roaring, Austin calmly sank two free throws to put Washington ahead 66-65. She then iced the game with two more from the charity stripe with 11 seconds remaining, showcasing the clutch performance that teams dream of from their stars.

Austin wasn't just a late-game hero—she dominated throughout, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. She got plenty of help from Sonia Citron, who poured in a game-high 26 points, and Kiki Iriafen, who grabbed 16 rebounds to go with her 12 points.

For the expansion Tempo, it was a night of mixed emotions. Marina Mabrey was electric, dropping 27 points, and Brittney Sykes added 14—including the franchise's first-ever basket, a pullup jumper from the free-throw line that sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy. But Toronto's shooting woes proved costly: they connected on just 5 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc and shot a chilly 27% from the field overall.

Sykes had a chance to steal the win, but her 3-pointer with 14 seconds left missed the mark. The Tempo's early struggles from deep and overall shooting inconsistency will be areas to watch as the season unfolds.

The atmosphere was electric, with notable faces in the crowd including new Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri—part of the Tempo ownership group—along with current Raptors Immanuel Quickley and Sandro Mamukelashvili, former Raptor Serge Ibaka, and Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair. Fans even got a singalong moment during a Karaoke Cam featuring Shania Twain's music in the fourth quarter.

For the Mystics, it's a statement win to open the season, showing they can handle pressure situations and grind out victories. For the Tempo, it's a tough lesson in closing out games, but the foundation is there for a competitive team.