Atlanta Dream rout Tulsa Shock 73-52; Clinch the playoff spot – WNBA Recap
Atlanta Dream took control with a 11-0 run late in the second quarter and finally clinched a playoff spot by beating Tulsa Shock, 73-52, on Sunday night at Philips Arena.
“It's a relief,” Dream coach Marynell Meadors said. “I was real proud of our ability to win tonight simply because that means we are going to the playoffs again. And whatever position we end up in, we are going to give it everything
we have to represent the Atlanta Dream with the best of our abilities.”
Atlanta has won two straight games and are fourth in the East with an 18-14 record. Tulsa, on the other hand, lost their third straight game.
Angel McCoughtry topped all scorers with 19 points, including 10 in the second period to fend off a comeback attempt by the Shock. McCoughtry also grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked three shots and stole the
ball twice. The 24-year-old forward ended with a 7 for 15 from the field including 2 of 2 three-pointers.
Lindsey Harding recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists. Armintie Price also added 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and had three steals for the Eastern Conference defending champions. Sancho
Lyttle had 10 points and four steals in the victory.
Tiffany Jackson led the Shock with 15 points and 11 rebounds in more than 38 minutes of action. However, Jackson committed a game-high 10 turnovers. Amber Holt added 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals in the loss.
Atlanta shot 44.9 percent from the field and limited Tulsa to only 28.1 percent. The slumping Shock committed 24 turnovers as compared to 15 by Dream. Additionally, Atlanta outscored the visiting team in fast break points 22-7
and points in the paint 42-24.
Tulsa opened the first quarter on a 5-0 run and carried a 15-13 lead into the second. Shock continued to play with focus in a closely contested second quarter and held a 26-25 lead with 03:54 remaining. Atlanta however broke through
at the point and scored the last 11 points of the quarter to take a ten-point lead, 36-26, into the locker room.
Dream held Tulsa to only 15 points in the third quarter and stretched their lead to 18 points at 59-41. Shock did not get any closer than 15 points in the fourth quarter and Atlanta walked away with another impressive home victory.
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