By Sydney Gibbs
The Atlanta Dream (2-2) couldn’t recover an early double-digit deficit and fell to the Indiana Fever (2-2), 93-77 on Sunday afternoon in Bradenton, Florida.
Atlanta built an early 10-0 lead to open the first quarter, but Indiana exploded on offense and locked down on defense to take a 21-5 scoring advantage. Indiana’s stellar first period set the tone for the following 30 minutes of play.
Every time Atlanta would start connecting with the basket, and gaining just an ounce of momentum –– Indiana’s continuous pursuit was too much to overcome.
“We started off great. We started off really engaged just like against New York,” said head coach Nicki Collen. “We were really engaged defensively. We were flying around, talking and communicating. I thought we started the game well and finished the half well. Some of that was Chennedy [Carter] getting into foul trouble. That affected us.”
Trailing by seven points with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth, Atlanta made significant strides to get themselves back within reach. Elizabeth Williams’ two point shot and an additional free throw provided life for the Dream. But the Fever wasn’t letting them bounce back.
The Fever shot an overall 51.5 percent from the floor and connected on eight of 20 three-point attempts. Indiana was consistent all the way down the stretch, thanks in large part to the collective effort from their starting lineup.
Four out of five players from Indiana’s roster reached double digits at the conclusion of the game. Guard Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 23 points.
Dream guard Courtney Williams came off the bench and delivered 18 points in just her second game back this season after being out due to illness. Betnijah Laney added 13 points and six rebounds, and Elizabeth Williams and Chennedy Carter each finished the game with 15.
Statistically, almost everything was even. The field goal percentage, rebounds, steals, turnovers, etc., were all averagely balanced. But foul trouble was a notable difference in the loss to the Fever.
Going into halftime, Carter had three fouls. She was limited all throughout the game and when she was benched things just weren’t flowing the way it should’ve.
“I think our pace was better when she was in the game,” said Collen. “I think we started fast and with good pace and then we kind of faltered.”
The Atlanta Dream will return back to action on Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.