Atlanta Dream Back At .500 After Win Over Chicago

Sat, Aug 19, 2023, 2:30 PM

 

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 18: Danielle Robinson #3 of the Atlanta Dream drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Sky on August 18, 2023, at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. Photo by Derek White/NBAE via Getty Images

 

Parker Scores Career-High 29 Points

By: Jameelah Johnson

 

The Atlanta Dream (16-16) returned to Gateway Center Arena from a three-game road trip to face the Chicago Sky (12-19). With nine games remaining in the regular season, Atlanta looked to get back to .500 with a win over Chicago. The Dream were without two of their starters as Rhyne Howard (face/nose) and Nia Coffey (hand) sat out due to injuries. 

Both teams were hungry for a win, they had each lost three straight games. With the playoffs and playoff seeding looming, each game is critical. Atlanta’s Cheyenne Parker set a new career-high with 29 points. Atlanta recorded a season-low six turnovers, with their guards totaling 17 assists and 1 turnover.

Chicago’s Dana Evans finished with a team-high 18 points, while Elizabeth Williams had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Sky.  

As the lights dimmed at halftime, College Park native Yung Joc walked onto the floor to perform in front of fans who had cheered the Dream to a 39-37 lead over the Sky. The arena lit up with cell phone lights and, soon after, Atlanta went on to win 78-67.

“Everybody who stepped on the floor tonight was needed, and they did good,” during her postgame availability, the Dream’s Head Coach Tanisha Wright praised the entire team for contributing in the victory.

 

Lineup notes:

Atlanta starters: Danielle Robinson, Aari McDonald, Allisha Gray, Naz Hillmon, Cheyenne Parker

Chicago starters: Courtney Williams, Marina Mabrey, Kahleah Copper, Alanna Smith, Elizabeth Williams 

 

Game Highlights:

The Dream looked to set the tone early and jumped out to a 14-7 lead behind a strong defense led by Parker.

 

Atlanta’s Haley Jones came off the bench to dictate the offense with a perfect dime to Parker for the layup. 

 

Copper kept Chicago in the game with 11 points in the first half but the Dream kept attacking and drawing fouls. After being down as many as 10 points, Robinson drew a foul and tied it from the line in the second quarter for Atlanta. 

Parker got Atlanta the lead after drawing the foul and knocking down both free throws. Parker went 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the game. Behind Gray and Parker’s offensive input, Atlanta outscored Chicago 23-13 in the second quarter. They had 15 points combined. 

Hillmon had a big start to the second half as she scored four straight points and grabbed a crucial rebound.

 

 

A scary moment happened in the final period as Gray went down with what appeared to be a left ankle injury. She was helped off the court by trainers and Howard, walked on her own to the back, returned to the sidelines, and then checked into the game after Robinson knocked down a 3-pointer and Atlanta called a timeout. The team then went on a 16-6 run to close out the game.

Atlanta outscored Chicago 25-13 in the fourth quarter, Parker put up 15 points to push her team to victory.

 

 

Postgame Sounds:

Coach Wright: “A good, gutsy win from us. We showed a lot of toughness tonight, a lot of which has been missing from us all year but I liked the toughness that we had tonight. People down, ‘next man up’ mentality. Relied heavily on our two all-stars and they came through.”

Cheyenne Parker on what was going right for her: “I would say my teammates and my coaches. They stay in me, they stay in my ear and they continue to just kind of remind me like ‘You got this. Fight through. Push, push, push.’ And it kind of just helped me get through each possession.”

Danielle Robinson on playing over 30 minutes and hitting a critical three: “Yea, well I knew I had to be aggressive. Obviously with Rhy out and Nia out. Yea, just really running the team was what I wanted to do tonight, and being aggressive was part of that. I knew they were double, triple teaming CP (Cheyenne Parker) and when I got the opportunity, I needed to knock it down and so, (I’ve) been working on it.”

 

Stats:

Atlanta: 40.6% (28-of-69) from the field

Chicago: 39.7% (27-of-68) from the field

 

Atlanta: 18-of-20 from the line

Chicago: 8-of-12 from the line

 

Atlanta: 31 rebounds (7 offensive)

Chicago: 39 rebounds (14 offensive)

 

Atlanta: 

Cheyenne Parker: 29 points (10-20 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal; Allisha Gray: 20 points (7-16 FG), 7 rebounds

 

Chicago:

Dana Evans: 18 points (7-15 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Kahleah Copper: 14 points (6-17 FG), 1 block

 

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