NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: Haley Jones #13 and Monique Billings #25 of the Atlanta Dream react against the New York Liberty in the second half at the Barclays Center on June 13, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Hold Stewart to a career worst 1-14

By Jackie Powell

BROOKLYN, Ny.– The Atlanta Dream snapped their three game losing streak on Tuesday evening defeating the New York Liberty 86-79. Atlanta outscored New York in three of the four quarters, holding the Liberty to 14 and 19 points in the third and fourth quarters respectively.

Winning with a balanced set of scoring which included six players out of the the eight total who played scoring in double figures. Wing Allisha Gray led the way with 16 points and was followed by AD Durr and rookie Haley Jones who both had 13.

Jones, who in her second start as a pro, accounted for 55.6 percent of the Dream’s points in the fourth quarter with 8 points and an assist.

The Dream outscored the Liberty on second chance points 16-8 and outrebounded New York 42-33 including 13 on the offensive glass. Monique Billings scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, and half of her total points were scored on second chance opportunities.

“She had some big offensive rebounds for us,” head coach Tanisha Wright said about Billings. “She knocked down all their free throws, all those little things. They matter. They’re details, but they matter and they’re game winning plays. And I thought Mo did a really good job of making game winning plays.”

Cheyenne Parker and Jones accounted for nearly half of the Dream’s 42 total rebounds with Parker corralling 11 and Jones adding 9.

New York was without sharp shooting guard Sabrina Ionescu who was out of Tuesday night’s game with left hamstring tightness. When the Dream last faced the Liberty on June 9, Ionescu scored 37 points on 10-18 shooting while hitting 8 threes. But without Ionescu, the Dream decided to crowd out Breanna Stewart, who was named the eastern conference player of the week on Tuesday for the second straight week in a row.

Atlanta held Stewart to a career worst 1-14 shooting from the field.

“I think our players did a really good job of just understanding her tendencies and not necessarily letting Stewie get open looks and open shots and just contesting and everything,” Wright said about her team’s defensive performance.

“Stewie’s so good. You’re not gonna stop players like that, but you want to make it difficult. And I think tonight, we made it difficult for her to have easy scoring opportunities and just contested everything.”

“I thought Mo Billings did a great job. CP at times, Nia [Coffey] they did a great job of just making things difficult.”

In the third quarter, Coffey, who was primarily guarding Stewart, also turned it up on the offensive end. She accounted for 66.7% of the team’s total points in the third with 5 points and an assist leading to a wide open Rhyne Howard three well beyond the arc.

The Liberty cut down the Dream’s lead down to 3 with 1:04 left in regulation following a 20 foot jumper by New York Guard Marine Johannès. But moments later, Johannès fouled Gray with two seconds remaining on the shot clock. The Liberty were in the bonus and that sent Gray to the line to hit two more free throws that extended the Dream’s lead to 5 and sealed the game.