Angel McCoughtry drops 31 points as Atlanta Dream thrash Los Angeles Sparks 92-59: WNBA Recap
Angel McCoughtry`s 31 point performance while coming off the bench helped Atlanta Dream run riot over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks 92-59, putting an end to L.A`s five game win streak.
McCoughtry who until recently had been given a bench role for violating a team rule, hit 4 triples in the game and went 11 of 18 from the field.
Lindsey Harding provided her with a helping hand to chip in with 18 points of her own. Sancho Lyttle added 13 points. Atlanta also held the rebounding edge 45-39 over LA in the game with Aneika Henry providing
the best stats in that aspect with 9 rebounds.
An 8-0 start provided Atlanta with a firm foot hold in the game in the early stages. They quickly went on to prolong their advantage into double figures and were leading 28-12 after the first quarter.
LA`s best scoring option, Candace Parker was disappointed with the way she and her team started the game. She did not feature at all in the final quarter, calling it a night with only 9 points in her tally on
a 3-of-8 shooting performance.
“We need to come out with a lot of energy,'' Parker said. ``We can't start the way we did because it trickles down the rest of the game. We need to stay aggressive. I think our defense needs to dictate the way
we play offensively and not vice versa.''
Sparks had only one player scoring in double figures in the game and that was their rookie, Nneka Ogwumike, who finished the game with 13 points and 10 boards. LA also had a high number of 18 turnovers in the
game.
After making a quick start to the game, Atlanta continued to pile on the pressure and was quickly looking at ample lead of 19 points to end the first half. Dream’s advantage crossed the 20 mark courtesy of a
6-0 run to start the third quarter.
They continued to score at will throughout the remaining part of the third quarter which allowed them to hold a 32 point lead before heading into the fourth. The impressive third quarter performance was capped
off by an 11-2 run to make the score 79-47.
Facing a huge deficit before the final quarter of the game left the Sparks coach, Carol Ross with no choice but to waive the white flag.
She was very frustrated with her team`s performance especially the way they started the game in a post match interview.
“Clearly I didn't have the team ready to play,'' said Carol Ross, ``I think we lost this before we played it.''
So dominant was the Atlanta team in the game that they also outscored LA 48-24 in the paint to cap off an excellent night`s performance.
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