Falling short in a second-half comeback has been a theme for the Atlanta Dream this season.
In multiple contests, the Dream went down big after two quarters only to mount an unsuccessful comeback over the final 20 minutes.
That was not the case against the Dallas Wings on Friday at Gateway Center Arena.
Dallas shot the lights out in the first half to take a 56-42 lead into intermission but Rhyne Howard and the Dream never gave in and outscored the Wings 50-36 in the second half to force overtime and take a 107-96 victory.
The Dream, led by Howard’s game-high 33 points, outscored the Wings (9-25) 15-4 in overtime as Atlanta fights for the eighth and final WNBA playoff spot.
“What a phenomenal effort by our athletes tonight,” Dream coach Tanisha Wright said. “[It was] heart and resilience and not giving up in a playoff atmosphere. That was a playoff game. We understand that every game from here on out is [going to] be like that for us. That type of fight and that type of energy is [going to] be needed as we continue to push to make the playoffs.”
Atlanta (12-22) was down by as many as 16 points in the second half but Howard hit a game-tying 3-pointer to tie the game at 85. Regulation ended with the score even at 92 but Atlanta went on a 5-0 run to start overtime and never looked back.
“[The 3-pointer] definitely gave us momentum (into overtime),” Howard said. “When I’m shooting I have to be unconscious. The team is looking for me to be a threat on offense and looking for me to be aggressive and get the shots that come forth. It’s not a shot that I could have passed up. It definitely was a momentum-shifter for us. Everybody’s energy was just really good. The crowd was feeding into us. We didn’t claw all the way back just to claw back and (not win).”
It was Howard’s second straight game with 30-plus points. She scored 31 in Tuesday’s loss to the Mercury.
“Obviously Rhyne Howard was phenomenal,” Wright said. “Other players were phenomenal as well. Back-to-back 30-point games. (It was) big-time play from big-time players. (Howard) did a great job of staying confident and bringing that confidence to everybody else.”
Atlanta faced plenty of adversity in the second half. The Wings were up 85-74 lead with 5:40 left in regulation after Satou Sabally hit a 3-pointer. Atlanta outscored Dallas 33-11 the remainder of the game.
“We’ve been in that position a lot of times before and haven’t had the outcome that we wanted,” said Naz Hillmon, who scored a career-high 18 points. “Every time, we’ve continued to fight and stayed positive. Tonight just shows what we’re capable of doing and we have to keep this same energy moving forward.”
Dallas shot 67.6% from the field in the first half compared to Atlanta’s 44.4%. In the second half, the Dream shot 52.9% while Dallas shot 32.2%. Dallas out-rebounded Atlanta 15-14 in the first half but the Dream won the second-half battle of the boards with a 19-16 advantage.
Down 75-69 with 9:17 to play in the fourth quarter, Tina Charles, Lorela Cubaj and Allisha Gray pulled down three consecutive offensive rebounds for the Dream in one possession. Gray finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.
“If you want to make the playoffs you have to make plays like that,” Wright said. “I thought Allisha Gray was phenomenal on the boards tonight. I thought she did a great job of seeking rebounds. She went after them. She didn’t let them come to her. They were big plays. For us to buckle down in the fourth and in overtime, that was big-time.”
The Wings made some costly mistakes in the second half. They committed 12 of their 18 turnovers then and Atlanta scored 26 points off turnovers while surrendering 12.
It was the first time this season all five Atlanta starters were in double figures as Charles had a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds and Jordin Canada put together a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“It was great to see everybody share the ball,” Hillmon said. “We knew that [Dallas] is a team that, if you attack them, they will give you some points. That’s exactly what we did. We did a great job of sharing the ball and finding who was the hot hand and trying to go and spread it out. It’s hard to guard five people on the floor when everybody is attacking.”
