Washington Mystics Select Lauren Betts with Fourth Overall Pick
WNBA Washington Mystics

Washington Mystics Select Lauren Betts with Fourth Overall Pick

Published on April 14, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Washington Mystics News Release


WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Mystics selected Lauren Betts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. The team also selected Angela Dugalić (DOO-guh-leetch) with the ninth overall pick, Cotie McMahon (COAT-ee mick-MAN) with the 11th overall pick, Cassandre Prosper (Cuh-SAHN) with the 19th overall pick, Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (DARE-ee-awn-uh) with the 30th overall pick, and Rori Harmon with the 34th overall pick.

Betts, a 6-7 center, averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steals in 37 games during the 2025-26 season while shooting .582 from the field. She led the Bruins to a national championship, earning Most Outstanding Player honors of the NCAA Tournament and All-Tournament Team recognition after recording 14 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists in the title game. She became the first player, male or female, in NCAA Tournament history to record 125+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 15+ blocks while shooting at least .650 from the field. For the past two consecutive seasons (2025-26) she's been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and captured the Lisa Leslie Award, honoring the best center in college basketball. During the 2025-26 season, she earned First Team All-Big Ten honors and was named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, while also receiving First Team recognition from the Associated Press, USBWA, and WBCA.

A native of Centennial, CO, Betts led the Big Ten in rebounds (324), blocks (100), blocks per game (2.9), and field goals (294) during the 2025-26 season. Across three seasons at UCLA and one at Stanford, she appeared in 133 games (98 starts), posting averages of 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting .619 from the field.

Dugalić, a 6-4 forward, appeared in 38 games (three starts) for UCLA during the 2025-26 season, averaging 9.0 points on .502 shooting, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 23.8 minutes per game. In addition to helping UCLA reach back-to-back Final Four appearances (2025-26) and win a national championship (2026), she was named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year.

Through four seasons at UCLA (2021-26), Dugalić racked up 117 showings (66 starts), averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. She began her collegiate career at the University of Oregon (2020-21), appearing in 24 games (one start), and averaged 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Internationally, Dugalić has represented Serbia in multiple competitions, including the 2025 FIBA Women's EuroBasket, the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

McMahon, a 6-0 forward, started all 36 games for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Her 19.5 points per game are the fifth-highest mark in a single-season in program history, and her 703 total points marked the fourth-most by a Rebel in a single-season. In her lone season at Ole Miss, she earned All-SEC First Team honors, was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team, and was recognized as the SEC Newcomer of the Year.

The Dayton, OH, native began her collegiate career at Ohio State University (OSU), suiting up for the Buckeyes from 2022-25. She started all 97 contests, averaging 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest. McMahon was named the 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned consecutive All-Big Ten First Team honors in 2024 and 2025. In her final two seasons at OSU (2024-25), she also received AP All-American Honorable Mention recognition and was a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award.

Prosper, a 6-3 guard from the University of Notre Dame, started all 36 games and averaged 13.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game during the 2025-26 campaign. She earned All-ACC Second Team honors and was named ACC Most Improved Player in her final season. Across four-seasons, Prosper appeared in 97 games (43 starts) for the Fighting Irish, and owned averages of 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. The Montreal native represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup, where she helped secure a bronze medal.

Littlepage-Buggs, a 6-1 guard/forward, started all 34 contests for Baylor during the 2025-26 season, averaging 10.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while shooting .519 from the field. Hailing from Oklahoma City, she appeared in 128 games (113 starts) over four seasons, holding career averages of 11.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. She earned All-Big 12 First Team honors (2025), All-Big 12 Second Team honors (2026), Big 12 All-Defensive Team recognition (2026), and was unanimously named the 2023 Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

Harmon, a 5-6 guard, averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.8 steals per game while starting all 39 contests of the 2025-26 campaign for the University of Texas. The Houston native played five seasons for the Longhorns and set a program record for career assists (977) and steals (388). In her tenure, she earned accolades including Nancy Lieberman Award finalist (2025 & 2026), Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist (2025 & 2026), SEC All-Defensive Team (2025), Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2023), and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2022).

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