by Troy Jenkins

The Atlanta Dream held on down the stretch to pick up a 91-87 win over the Phoenix Mercury Tuesday evening at Philips Arena.

Here Are A Few Notes From Tuesday’s Game:

Dream Hold Off Mercury to Win Close Game

• After going up by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Dream withstood multiple rallies from the Mercury in the second half to pick up a close four-point win.
• The Dream saw four players reach double-figures in scoring: Angel McCoughtry led all scorers with 27 points, Bria Holmes scored 18 points, Tiffany Hayes notched 14 points and Elizabeth Williams had 12 points.
• With Tuesday’s victory, the Dream snap a three-game losing streak against the Mercury, and tie up the 2016 season series at one game apiece. Phoenix still holds an 11-7 advantage in the all-time series.
• Coach Cooper’s Take: “Sometimes it takes a difficult loss, like the last game against Seattle, to turn things around. Obviously, we want to go out and win every game we play but that game really let us know that we have to keep our focus and come and play with energy in every single game. When we are able to do that we are one of the best teams in this league.”
• Dream Player’s Take: “I think that staying poised and staying together was very important because they got some shots and threes in the end. We were able to run our plays and we got what we needed to get”, said Hayes after the win.
• Visiting Player’s Take: “Credit to them they played well today. They played aggressive. They did certain things that hurt us. They didn’t do anything special. There are things that we need to take care of like transition defense and second chance points”, said Diana Taurasi following the game.

 

Three Key Stats From Sunday’s Loss

• The Dream shot 53% from the field in Tuesday’s victory, and now move to 3-0 when shooting at least 50% in a game.
• The Dream scored 20 points on 16 Phoenix turnovers. They’re now 10-4 when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.
• The Dream put up 91 points on the Mercury in the win. They’re now 7-0 when scoring 90 or more points in a game.

 

McCoughtry Continues Elite Post-Olympic Play

• Dream Forward and Olympic Gold Medalist Angel McCoughtry continued her high level of play with a 27-point performance against Phoenix. Since returning from Rio, McCoughtry is averaging 25 points per game.
• McCoughtry has notched double-digit points in 26 of 29 games, and 20 or more points in 16 of her last 24 games this season.

 

Holmes Strikes Again in the Starting Lineup

• In Sunday’s win triumph over Phoenix, Dream Guard Bria Holmes scored 18 points in her sixth start of the season.
• Holmes has scored double-digit points in five of her six games as a starter, and is averaging 10.6 points per game in the starting lineup.

 

Hayes Continues Streak of Double-Digit Scoring Games

• Dream Guard Tiffany Hayes pushed her streak of double-digit scoring performances to four following a 14-point outing against Phoenix. Since the Olympic Break concluded, Hayes is averaging 16 points per game.
• Hayes has notched double-figure points in 20 of 29 games this season.

 

Player of the Game: Angel McCoughtry

Angel McCoughtry continued to play at a high level with her 27-point outing against the Mercury.  Following a slow start against the Storm that cost them in the last game, McCoughtry set the tone early with 11 points in the first quarter. McCoughtry also played a big part down the stretch by scoring nine points in the fourth quarter that would help the Dream secure their victory over Phoenix.

 

Playoff Picture

• Tuesday’s victory gives the Dream a 15-14 record. This record is currently the fifth-best record in the WNBA Standings.
• The Dream are half a game behind the fourth-place Chicago Sky, and hold the tiebreaker advantage. In addition, the Dream are one game ahead of current sixth-seed Indiana Fever, two and a half games ahead of the No. 7 Mercury, and three games ahead of the current No. 8 Seattle Storm. The top eight teams in the WNBA advance to the playoffs regardless of their conference.

 

Up Next

The Dream will head west for two games starting on September 8 when they visit Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks. After a visit to Los Angeles, the Dream will take a visit to Phoenix for another game against Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and the Mercury on September 11. The Dream will return home on September 13 as they welcome Moriah Jefferson and the San Antonio Stars to Phillips Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.