Tina Charles scored 22 points and Rhyne Howard had a double-double as the visiting Atlanta Dream defeated the Chicago Sky 89-80 on Saturday.
Howard had 10 points, 10 assists and five steals, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus added 18 points, Allisha Gray scored 14 and Aerial Powers had 11 as the Dream (5-4) surpassed their scoring average by 14 points.
Angel Reese had 13 points, 13 rebounds and five steals, Kamilla Cardoso and Dana Evans added 13 points each and Marina Mabrey scored 12 for the Sky (4-6).
Mabrey and Lindsay Allen each made a 3-pointer during an 8-0 run that pulled the Sky within 76-68 early in the fourth quarter. Naz Hillmon ended the run by making a jumper, but Allen had a three-point play during a 7-0 run that got Chicago within 78-75.
Charles answered with two free throws, Parker-Tyus added four points and the Dream opened an 84-77 lead with 2:44 left. Mabrey made a layup, but Howard’s 3-pointer and Gray’s two free throws increased the lead to 89-79 with 1:10 left.
Cardoso scored six points and Reese had two as the Sky started the third quarter with an 8-4 run that cut the Dream’s lead to 55-47.
Howard assisted on Parker-Tyus’ field goal and Charles’ 3-pointer, which helped Atlanta rebuild the lead to 13 points. Chicago made just two field goals in the final five minutes and the Dream held a 72-57 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Dream used a 7-0 run to take an 11-4 lead as the Sky started slowly on the offensive end. Gray’s 3-pointer pushed the lead to 11 before Reese made a layup for Chicago’s first field goal in nearly five minutes.
Atlanta increased the lead to 17 points before Isabelle Harrison made three free throws to complete a 5-0 Sky run. Powers beat the buzzer with a jumper that gave the Dream a 29-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Howard’s three-point play and Powers’ 3-pointer pushed the lead to 18 points before Chicago heated up. Consecutive baskets by Reese, Diamond DeShields, Evans and Cardoso trimmed the lead to 35-25.
The Sky got as close as seven points before Parker-Tyus scored four straight points to help Atlanta take a 51-39 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
