Last night, the Atlanta Dream faced off against the Phoenix Mercury in what ended up being a 72-63 win for the Dream. There were moments when it looked like the Mercury had turned things around, but Atlanta stayed steady and finished strong. It helped that they got a bit of an energetic boost in the fourth when Tina Charles scored her 7,491st point to pass Tina Thompson. Atlanta swarmed their teammate at half-court before locking back into the game and getting the win.
Jordin Canada sets the tone
Canada didn't have the best night, scoring just four points, but she did set the tone for the rest of the game with a layup over 6'9" Brittney Griner. From here, the Dream cruised through the first quarter. Rhyne Howard continued the pace with a fade away over Griner. It was a nothing-but-net bucket that also put her on the free throw line. She finished with 19 points to help put her team on top.
The Dream would finish the quarter up 19-6 thanks to a 15-2 run they had. The second the Mercury took out Griner, they fell apart on defense and couldn't get anything to go down on offense. It was a sloppy first quarter for both teams, but things would pick up in the second.
It seemed like Kahleah Copper was about to take over the game and get hot. She did for a bit, but Allisha Gray knocked down a dagger three that deflated the Phoenix mini-comeback. Howard finished the first quarter with 14 points, keeping the Dream ahead 34-26.
Mercury takes lead before deflating again
For just a moment, Phoenix saw some light at the end of the tunnel when Natasha Mack hit a dagger three to tie the game at 46-46. Monique Billings' free throws gave them the lead, but it would be tied again by a two-pointer from the Dream. The third quarter gave the Mercury some hope for a successful fourth. However, things continued to be rocky for them.
Kahleah Cooper, who finished with 22 points, and Brittney Griner, who finished with 14 points, were the only ones locked in for Phoenix. Diana Taurasi couldn't hit her shots, and Sophie Cunningham spent a lot of important time on the bench due to early foul trouble. The key components of the Mercury, defense with steady offense, just weren't clicking tonight.
Tina Charles hits record-breaking three
The fourth started with a bang, as not even a minute into the quarter, Charles hit the three, which would put her second on the all-time WNBA scoring list. It was a smooth shot from the top of the key that made the bench explode with excitement. All-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi congratulated Charles before play started again.
From there, it was a Dream take-over. The Mercury wouldn't score until the 7:53 mark with a jumper from Griner. They'd once again stay stagnant until 4:09 with another Griner make. It was an all-around fantastic defense from Atlanta and a horrible offense from Phoenix. They didn't utilize Griner enough, knowing that she was hitting her shots on the smaller Dream players.
Allisha Gray and Maya Caldwell were key players in this fourth quarter, leading a steady flow of points that came Atlanta's way. Both Copper and Griner tried to keep Phoenix afloat, but it wasn't enough. The Dream would come away with their third win in a row, putting them in striking distance for a playoff position.
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