Cheyenne Parker #32 of the Atlanta Dream drives to the basket during the game against the Chicago Sky on July 9, 2023 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)

Atlanta fought off multiple Chicago pushes to clinch The Dream’s 10th victory of the season.

By: Mason Williams

CHICAGO – When closing time came calling on Sunday night, Atlanta was quick to answer.

Just two nights after outscoring the host Chicago Sky 23-10 in the fourth quarter, The Dream followed up by outscoring their opponents 20-10 in Sunday night’s final frame. As the final buzzer sounded, Atlanta (10-8) was on the winning end of an 88-77 score – triumphing over Chicago (8-11).

The win extended Atlanta’s season-long winning streak to five games, elevating The Dream to the No. 4 spot in the current WNBA standings and sweeping the weekend two-game set with the Sky.

“I really liked the composure that my team kept today, withstanding the runs and not being rattled,” Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright said after the win. “I think that’s a sign of our growth, showing that we’re getting better and better.”

With pressure mounting leading into the fourth quarter, Wright says she issued her defenders a challenge: play stronger perimeter defense and have reliable help on the low block. Up to that point, Chicago’s Kahleah Copper had a game-high 28 points, going basket-for-basket with Rhyne Howard.

Yet, Copper wouldn’t score another basket Sunday evening. Limiting her prolific scoring ability was a big guide in ultimately pulling out the result.

Also aiding in the victory was Atlanta’s tenacity on loose balls and in 50-50 situations. If there was a statistic labeled “desire” for Sunday’s outing, The Dream led in a landslide.

“I think it was just a lot of hard effort,” Nia Coffey said postgame. “We wanted to make sure that we can be consistent in that and just make sure that we’re being tough all the time. We showed that tonight.

“We understand that Chicago is going to fight all the time. We had to make sure that we kept our composure and have our toughness on defense. It starts on defense for us,” said Coffey.

Coffey had one of the night’s biggest rejections in the first half, turning away a layup attempt on the right low block. Rhyne Howard, aside from her game-high 32-point outburst, had four steals and a block as well. All told, The Dream’s victory came as a sum of its parts – a total team effort in every facet.

“It’s hard to beat a team twice, especially when you’re playing them back-to-back on their floor,” Howard said after Sunday’s game. “Just coming out, being aggressive, setting the tone for my teammates.”

The night in Chicago was also a historic one for Cheyenne Parker, recording her third straight double-double – becoming the first Atlanta Dream player to accomplish the feat since Sancho Lyttle did so in 2016.

Parker’s 18 points and 11 rebounds Sunday night helped establish the post presence Atlanta utilized to their advantage in the victory, out-rebounding Chicago 42-30 and winning the battle of points in the paint 44-32. Wright says that she and her team have high expectations of Parker, but Sunday’s performance is the standard.

“Cheyenne should have a double-double every night,” Wright said. “She’s that good, I truly believe that.”

Wright then joked that Parker’s 11 rebounds could have been 15 if she actually boxed out, but continued to shower the nine-year veteran with praise.

“Yeah, we have high standards for CP,” Wright said. “We love CP, we know exactly what she’s capable of doing. She’s an All-Star, deservedly, because she shows up every day. She puts the work in, (she’s) super coachable. I’m on her a** constantly, and she takes it, goes out there and tries to apply it.”

As the WNBA All-Star break approaches and Parker is joined by Allisha Gray in Las Vegas this upcoming weekend, The Dream will hope to finish out the first half of the season on a high note – welcoming the Seattle Storm to town on Wednesday, July 12. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET in Atlanta.