Offensive Struggles Hurt Atlanta in 86-78 Loss
By: Jameelah Johnson
Following the second loss of the week to the Connecticut Sun (17-6), Atlanta Dream (12-10) head coach Tanisha Wright gave credit to the number three team in the WNBA.
“Connecticut is a tough team, tough team right now. They have our number.” Following the second loss of the week to the Connecticut Sun (17-6), said Wright. “We just have to figure out how to beat Connecticut.”
It was a rough start for the Dream as the Sun went on a 9-0 run before Atlanta were able to score, with that coming from the Dream’s Cheyenne Parker at the free throw line. As the team struggled to make field goals, Parker found her way to the line in an attempt to generate some offense. 11 of Parker’s 17 total points were free throws.
Atlanta’s Aari McDonald came off the bench and proved to be a bright spot for the team by scoring six points in three minutes in the first quarter in her second game back from injury. She finished with 14 points in front of the Dream’s seventh sell-out game.
“I’m happy I’m able to be back and join the team and just contribute with what I can,” said McDonald. “I think offensively, we didn’t have the movement that we needed to move; therefore, we took a lot of tough shots.”
Connecticut put up a 30-point first quarter where Atlanta only hit one field goal and those shooting woes showed themselves for much of the game.
The second quarter was the only period where Atlanta outscored Connecticut, 22-15. Dream’s Allisha Gray along with Parker scored nine points apiece, and the team forced three turnovers resulting in five Atlanta points.
Connecticut came out of halftime shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from three. They won in the game of runs.
Connecticut’s Dewanna Bonner scored 20 points and grabbed 9 boards while her teammate Alyssa Thomas had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds while also dishing 7 assists. Dream’s Rhyne Howard finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds.
“It is what it is. We gotta chalk it up and we gotta move on because we got a next stretch, our next stretch is really tough for us. We gotta get ready for that.” Coach Wright remarked on the need to shift focus to the upcoming games.
The Atlanta Dream host the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, July 25 at 7pm ET.