Postgame Notebook – vs. Washington

By Troy Jenkins

The Atlanta Dream’s five-game winning streak came to an end following an 86-79 loss to the Washington Mystics Sunday afternoon at Philips Arena.

Here are a few notes from Sunday’s game:

 Dream’s Five Game Winning Streak Ends Against the Mystics

• The Dream surrendered an early nine-point lead, mostly due to Washington outscoring Atlanta by a 23-16 margin in the third quarter which extended a one-point halftime advantage to eight heading into the final quarter of action.
• Sunday’s defeat ends the Dream’s four-game winning streak in the series against Washington.
• Angel McCoughtry scored a season-high 28 points, while Elizabeth Williams also added a season-best effort with 21 points.
• Coach Cooper’s Take: “We have to go back to the drawing board. Boxing out was a big key and they had two people that were going. Our players were in the [rebounding] war, but sometimes you have to be fundamentally sound and box out at the free throw line and our players didn’t do that tonight.”
• Player’s Take: “They won off of second-chance makes and offensive rebounds. They just wanted it more. We can’t take for granted our success and our winning streak. We have to come out and play every game hard and not take anyone for granted,” McCoughtry said following the defeat.

 

Three Key Statistics From Sunday’s Loss

• The Dream came up short in the rebounding battle by a final tally of 43-35.
• The Dream surrendered 13 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second-chance points.
• Washington hit nine three-pointers in the game – the highest single-game total by an opponent vs. Atlanta this season.

 

Still Leading the East

• Despite Sunday’s loss, the Dream remain on top of the Eastern Conference by 1.5 games and a 6-2 record. In the overall WNBA standings, the Dream have the third-best record in the league behind the Los Angeles Sparks (7-0) and the defending champion Minnesota Lynx (7-0).

 

Sancho Reaches 3,000 Point Milestone

• Sancho Lyttle entered Sunday’s game four points shy of 3,000 career points. Her eight points against Washington were enough to push the 12-year veteran past the 3,000 point threshold.

 

McCoughtry Still Hot

• McCoughtry’s 28 points marks the fifth time in six games she has scored at least 20 points in a contest.
• Sunday’s performance also marked McCoughtry’s 23rd consecutive game that she registered double-digit points.

 

Elizabeth Williams Heating Up

• Williams scored a career-high 21 points in Sunday’s loss while shooting 8-of-12 from the field. This is the fourth time in the last five games that she has scored double-digit points.
• The WNBA’s leader in blocked shots continues to make an impact on defense. Williams finished with two blocks against Washington. She has now tallied two or more blocks in five of eight games this season.

 

Player(s) of the Game: Emma Messeman, Tayler Hill, Ivory Latta, Bria Hartley and Tianna Hawkins.

These five players combined for a total of 64 of the Mystics 86 points and hit all nine three-pointers for Washington. Their play was instrumental in securing their first win in Atlanta since August 28, 2013.

 

Up Next

The Dream’s next game will feature a matchup between the leaders of the Eastern and Western Conference when Atlanta hosts defending WNBA champion Minnesota on Friday night at Philips Arena in a 7:30 p.m. tip.

Following the visit from Maya Moore and the Lynx, Atlanta will welcome the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, June 12 for a 3 p.m. start at Philips before closing out the season-long four-game homestand on Friday, June 17 against reigning WNBA most valuable player Elena Delle Donne and the Chicago Sky (7:30 p.m. ET).

 

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