By: W.G. Ramirez
LAS VEGAS — Cheyenne Parker scored 19 points and tied a season second-highest shooting percentage of 69.2% from the floor on Tuesday, but it wouldn’t be enough against league-leading Las Vegas, as the Aces won 93-72.
Las Vegas (24-2) improved to 2-0 against the Dream (14-12) on the year and clinched a playoff berth with the victory.
While Parker scored in double figures for the 20th time this season, Nia Coffey scored 14 points and had two blocks in 15 minutes of action for the Dream, and for the second time this season hit 71.4% (5 of 7) from the floor. It was the fourth time this season she hit better than 70% from the field.
Meanwhile, All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray’s return to Las Vegas, which hosted All-Star Weekend, was both players’ worst scoring performances this season.
Howard scored a season-low six points on 30% shooting, her fifth-lowest clip of the season. Gray finished with a season-worst eight points on 27.2%, her second-lowest percentage of the campaign. Howard did finish with six assists and six rebounds, leading the Dream in both categories.
The Dream finished 29 of 67 (43.3%) from the floor and shot a season-low 20% (4 for 20) from 3-point range. Their 28 total rebounds were also a season-low.
Atlanta, which lost for the fourth time in six games since their season-high seven-game win streak, dropped to fifth place in the WNBA.
The Dream fell to 17-20 all-time against the Aces franchise and 7-12 when visiting them, including 3-4 since they moved from San Antonio to Las Vegas.
After rookie Haley Jones buried a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and cut Las Vegas’ lead to seven points, it was as close as the Dream would get as the defending WNBA champion Aces went on a 15-point run to take an 84-62 win and seemingly ice the game midway through the final stanza.
The Dream opened the game with the type of aggressiveness coach Tanisha Wright has been looking for, as an 8-2 lead less than two minutes set the tone. The Aces charged back by scoring the game’s next eight points and took a 10-8 lead.
But the Dream wouldn’t succumb. A 7-5 spurt tied the score at 15-all, and from there, the teams would exchange buckets, with the Aces holding the slight three-point lead after one, 25-22.
But fueled by guard Kelsey Plum’s quarter-opening five points, the Aces went on a 24-9 run that was bolstered by four consecutive 3-pointers by sharpshooting guard Jackie Young. Upon taking a 49-31 lead with 3:57 left in the first half, on Chelsea Gray’s long 3-pointer, the Aces had scored 15 points off turnovers.
Atlanta answered by closing out the second quarter on a 12-5 run and carved into Las Vegas’ lead, as the Aces went into the locker room with a 54-43 lead. They finished the first half with 18 points off seven turnovers.
The Aces shot 19 of 30 from the floor during the first half, including 7 of 11 from 3-point range. In contrast, the Dream finished 18 of 38 from the field over the first two quarters, including going 3 for 11 from beyond the arc.
Parker led the charge for the Dream in the first half, having scored 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting – all made field goals from 2-point range.
The Dream close their two-game trip on Thursday in Phoenix, where they may be a part of history, as Mercury star Diana Taurasi is just 18 points shy of her career 10,000th point.