Allisha Gray scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Atlanta Dream erased a 19-point, second-half deficit to defeat the Minnesota Lynx 83-77 on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Naz Hillmon supplied 13 points off the bench for the Dream (1-1), and Cheyenne Parker added 12.
Napheesa Collier led Minnesota (0-2) with 20 points. Reserves Aerial Powers and Tiffany Mitchell had 10 points apiece.
Atlanta scored the first five points of the final period, including a Rhyne Howard three-point play, to cut Minnesota’s lead to three points.
When Gray nailed a 3-pointer with 2:57 left, Atlanta was within 77-75. A pair of Monique Billings free throws tied it up 23 seconds later.
Aari McDonald’s 3-pointer with 42 seconds left put the Dream on top. Gray clinched the Dream’s win by sinking two free throws with 21 seconds left.
The Lynx got offensive contributions from eight players in the first quarter while racing to a 30-19 lead.
Powers scored the first four points of the second quarter to stretch Minnesota’s advantage to 15 points. Parker made a layup with 3:16 remaining in the quarter to cut the Lynx’s advantage to eight points. AD Durr hit a couple of free throws in the final minute to pull Atlanta within 47-40 entering halftime.
The opening minutes of the second half turned into a Collier showcase. She scored the first 10 points of the third quarter on a short bank shot, a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws. That extended Minnesota’s lead to 17 points.
A three-point play by Hillman nearly four minutes in the quarter ended Atlanta’s drought. Diamond Miller made a layup midway through the quarter to give the Lynx a 62-43 lead.
From there, the Dream caught fire, going on a 16-2 run to slice Minnesota’s lead to five. Hillmon had six points and Durr supplied the last five during that span.
Kayla McBride knocked down a 3-pointer, allowing the Lynx to carry a 67-59 lead into the fourth quarter.
–Field Level Media
