Atlanta Dream spoil Dallas Wings' home opener 77-72; Gray scores 26, Reese pulls down 16 rebounds
Despite a sluggish start, the Atlanta Dream gutted out a 77-72 victory over the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night, spoiling the Wings' home opener and improving their record to 2-0 in the process.
Allisha Gray once again showed up for her team, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point range. She was the engine that kept Atlanta humming, particularly in the fourth quarter when she buried two back-to-back three-pointers to push the Dream's lead to six and effectively put the game away.
Jordin Canada was equally impressive, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while hitting big shots when Atlanta needed them most, including a clutch three-pointer late that pushed the lead to 73-65. Canada also came up with three steals, giving the Dream a spark on both ends of the floor.
Rhyne Howard chipped in 14 points and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line, showing toughness throughout the night. Howard was relentless, attacking the basket even when her outside shot wasn't falling, finishing 1-of-9 from three-point range but refusing to let the cold shooting night derail her impact on the game.
Angel Reese hauled in a massive 16 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, which was one more than Dallas had as a team. She also added 12 points for her 51st career double-double. At 24 years old, Reese is now the second youngest WNBA player to reach 50 career double-doubles behind Tina Charles. Her putback off a missed shot in the third quarter helped Atlanta regain the lead after Dallas had clawed back into the game.
The Dream dug themselves an early hole, starting a dismal 1-of-12 from three-point range in the first quarter and missing several layups in transition. Atlanta trailed by as many as nine points in the first half but managed to go into halftime down just three.
The second half was a different story. The Dream came out of the locker room with purpose, with Howard connecting on a jumper and Gray immediately hitting a three-pointer to give Atlanta the lead. From there, the Dream never looked back, building their advantage to as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter — one point more than Dallas' largest lead of the game.
For Dallas, Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 20 points, and Paige Bueckers added 15 in thier home debut. But it wasn't enough. Dallas shot just 15% from three-point range, going 4-of-26 from beyond the arc.
Atlanta shot 38% from the field and 27% from three, but made up for the cold shooting with a dominant performance on the boards, out-rebounding Dallas 44-34, including 11 offensive rebounds that kept possessions alive throughout the night.
The Dream head home with a road win and plenty of momentum heading into their next game.
