There were two big comebacks at Gateway Center Arena on Friday.
The first comeback was the Atlanta Dream’s return to regularly scheduled WNBA programming after a month long Olympic hiatus.
The second was Atlanta’s thrilling come-from-behind win against the Seattle Storm in which the Dream erased a 12-point halftime deficit and won 83-81 on Tina Charles’ game-winning jumper.
The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for Atlanta (8-17) while Seattle’s (17-9) three-game win streak came to an end.
“I told [the team] I was really proud of their efforts today,” Dream coach Tanisha Wright said. “I thought today was a day that we grew up a little bit. In the past, this would have been a game where we couldn’t find our footing and couldn’t find our way back. I think (Rhyne) Howard did an amazing job of really keeping things calm for everybody and keeping things poised. This is a good win for us against a really good Seattle team.”
There were just three lead changes in the contest and the second was when Atlanta took a lead in the fourth quarter after Howard made two free throws to give the Dream a 64-63 lead with 6:24 left in regulation.
The Dream maintained a lead until Jewell Loyd hit a game-tying turnaround 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds to play in regulation. The Dream called timeout which advanced the ball to Atlanta’s side of the court.
That set the table for Charles. The 12-year WNBA vet hit a mid-range jumper that gave Atlanta an 83-81 lead with 1.8 seconds to play.
“They called my number for a play and I went up to [Wright] to make sure she wanted me to go and score,” Charles said. “(Howard) was the last person I saw and she put confidence in me and she said ‘Go get a bucket.’ I like to think I’m a bucket.”
Charles was emotional and was mobbed by teammates after the shot.
“It was a game-winning shot,” Charles said. “I think it was great that everybody was able to be part of it. We were just happy. We like to say that this is a new season for us but sometimes we have to look back and we had a losing streak going. It was just a breath of fresh air. I didn’t care who made it. We were just trying to win this game. I was thankful. I’ve been here a long time and I was happy to not go to overtime.”
Charles finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
“There was only four seconds on the shot clock and we needed a high-efficiency shot,” Wright said. “Tina on the block is a high-value shot for us. Getting her on the left block with a one-on-one, I know the gravity of Rhyne and (Allisha Gray) so I knew there wouldn’t be any digs or help. I thought (Jordin Canada) did a good job of making sure she could complete the pass.
Howard dropped a game-high 30 points and 14 of them came in the third quarter – a crucial turning point of the game where Atlanta outscored Seattle 26-19. Howard was 5 of 6 overall and 3 of 4 from long range.
“I don’t know that anything helped me,” Howard said. “I just always say that shooters shoot. Once I see one go in, then the next couple are [going to] be heat checks. They continue to go in, my teammates continue to find me and get me open looks to make them easier. Everything leading into the game and knowing that I have to be a little selfish at times, (30 points) was bound to happen.”
It was Howard’s season-high in scoring and the fourth time in her career that she’s reached 30 or more points. The guard is tied for No. 2 in Dream franchise history for 30-plus-point games.
“She was just in amazing zone,” Charles said of Howard. “A lot of times when she was making those plays and sometimes she missed she was like ‘I see you, I got you.’ I’ve been blessed to be in those situations where you’re just in a zone and I kept telling her to just keep going because only a few can get into that type of zone and get in that mind frame. It was just great to be on the floor with her and witness that.”
The Dream won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Seattle 37-27. Naz Hillmon led all players with 13.
“I thought Naz was amazing on the boards,” Wright said. “The little things that she brings to our team, I think it goes understated at times. She (has the ability) to go for tough rebounds. She got five (offensive) boards today. I’m sure we converted on some of those. As we can see, every point mattered. Those rebounds got us going at times. It’s an energy boost when you can rebound like that and box out and run. That helped us in our transition.”
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