Dream fall 106-83 to Liberty
by Zeke Palermo
COLLEGE PARK, Ga.– Rhyne Howard’s third 3-pointer in the Atlanta Dream’s 106-83 loss to the visiting New York Liberty made her the fastest player in WNBA history to make 100 threes in her career.
The 2022 Rookie of the Year hit the century mark in her 40th career game, breaking the previous record of 41 games by Cynthia Cooper, playing for the now-defunct Houston Comets, set in 1998.
The loss soured what would otherwise be a jubilant occasion, but the team did not lose appreciation of her feat.
“There’s always something you can celebrate, and that’s definitely one of them,” Atlanta coach Taylor Wright said about Howard’s record.
Howard finished the game with 15 points.
Not to be outdone, New York’s Sabrina Ionescu was near unstoppable for the Liberty after two consecutive games with 5 points or less. She scored a career high 37 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
“I’ll eat Sabrina having 37,” Wright said. “I clearly didn’t have the right game plan.”
She made eight 3-pointers, an all-time Liberty record.
The Dream kept it close for much of the first half, but an Allisha Gray flagrant foul on an Ionescu three-point attempt embodied an ugly run that set the tone for the rest of the game. In the final six minutes of the second quarter, Atlanta was outscored 26-to-6.
Gray scored 17 points, leading the Dream for the second time this season.
This was the Dream’s first full game without Aari McDonald, out with a torn labrum. McDonald led the Dream in assists per game prior to her injury.
Danielle Robinson missed her fifth consecutive game after suffering a knee injury in the Dream’s first game of the season. Robinson underwent a successful surgery yesterday, and is expected back before the All-Star break.
Taylor Mikesell made her WNBA debut, scoring 6 points on 2-for-3 shooting. Mikesell signed with the Dream on June 5, four days before her debut. She was the first selection in the second round in the WNBA Draft 2023, but was waived by the Indiana Fever before the regular season.
A second loss in a row makes the Dream 2-4 for the season, fifth-best in the Eastern Conference. They host the Connecticut Sun for the final of a five game homestand on June 11.
Atlanta will have a chance to redeem itself when it plays New York on June 13, the second of the teams’ four-game season series.
The Liberty’s win makes their record 5-2, but they still sit games behind the Sun for the top seed in the East. They play Dallas at home on June 11.