If it was any way to light a spark for the Atlanta Dream to start the second half of the season, it was the way their game against the Seattle Storm ended. In dramatic fashion, Storm guard Jewell Loyd hit a fadeaway three to tie the game at 81 with four seconds left. After a court cleanup that lasted a few seconds, the Dream advanced the ball to Tina Charles on the block, and she put up a hook shot that rolled in to give Atlanta a two-point lead with a second remaining.
The Storm were not able to get a shot off, and the Dream walked off with the win. Charles, who has hit big shots her entire career, was surely confident that she was going to help the Dream get the win.
“They called my number for a play. I went up to [Tanisha] to make sure she wanted me to go and score and Rhyne was the last person I saw and she put confidence in me and said ‘Go get a bucket.' I’d like to think that I’m a bucket,” Charles said after the game.
It was only right that the Dream go to the veteran to seal the deal after they clawed back in the fourth quarter and were down as much as 14 points in the game.
Tina Charles, Rhyne Howard come up big for Dream in win vs. Storm
The Atlanta Dream started the game slow against the Seattle Storm, but they were able to keep things close only trailing 22-18. It was the second quarter that doomed the Dream, only scoring 11 points and allowing the Storm to pull away and go into halftime with a 41-29 lead.
When the Dream needed someone to come through for them, it was Rhyne Howard who answered the bell in the third quarter, scoring 14 points and firing off three consecutive three-pointers. The Dream went into the fourth quarter only trailing 60-55.
“I always say shooters shoot. Once I see one go in then the next couple are going to be heat checks,” Howard said after the game. “They continue to go in, my teammates continue to find me and give open looks to make them easier. Everything leading up to the game, knowing that I have to be a little selfish and take over at times, it's bound to happen.”
“She was just in an amazing zone,” Charles said. “A lot of times when she was making those plays and sometimes she would miss and she would say ‘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 keep going because only a few can really get in that type of zone, get in that mind frame, and just go in. The future is really bright in our league, and it's because of Rhyne Howard.”
The Dream kept fighting in the fourth quarter, and the trio of Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada helped get the team the lead and finish the game. This was the first time this season that all three shared the floor together due to injuries throughout the season.
“That was my first time playing with [Jordin] all season, but it was great to have a sense of being able to get easy looks and open shots without having to do it off my own account,” Howard said.
This game could serve as a preview of what's to come when all three players are healthy. Howard finished the game with 30 points, Gray finished with 19 points, and Canada finished with 10 points and eight assists.
The Dream will have another tough test in their next game when they face the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 18.
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