ATLANTA – For the first half of the first quarter, the Atlanta Dream went scoreless against the Washington Mystics. They couldn't get a shot to go, they turned the ball over several times, and their defense wasn't the best. They were down 10-0, and for the remainder of the quarter, they were trying to find some type of spark.
For the next three quarters, the Dream locked in, started scoring at will, flying everywhere on defense, and ended up taking the lead and winning the game. What once was a 13-point deficit turned into a 99-83 win for the Dream. Though they got contributions from several players, it was Te-Hina Paopao who helped them get out of their first-quarter rut.
“I thought we started to play harder. We didn’t dramatically change the strategy; the enery just changed,” head coach Karl Smesko said after the game. “I give Paopao a lot of credit for that. I thought when she came in, the pace picked up, all of a sudden we got out in transition, got a couple of easier baskets in transition.”
“We’ve been able to see that all season long,” Naz Hillmon said. “When she comes in, she brings a spark. I think usually when she comes in we’re looking for the 3 ball, and her defense has really picked up. She’s able to get downhill, and she’s distributing the ball very well. Pao has shown glimpses of this, but having that opportunity of being that spark today was exactly what we needed, and she’s growing throughout the season.”
From there, the Dream started to play their game. Allisha Gray was consistent throughout the entire game, while Brionna Jones had a big third quarter, scoring 14 points and shooting perfect from the field. Jordin Canada once again played the role of the distributor, getting players easy shots.
Naz Hillmon was on the offensive boards, creating extra opportunities for the Dream, and Nia Coffey got it going in the second half to keep the team afloat.
Dream dominate final three quarters of game vs Mystics
It was Gray who got the Dream on the board after going scoreless for so long. With some key players already out, she knew she had to set the tone for the team.
“I know I have to be aggressive, and being one of the main scorers on the court, I know I can’t pass up shots, so I can be aggressive as much as I can,” Gray said.
Over the past couple of games, Smesko has gone to playing Canada and Paopao at the same time, and it's helped the Dream get a major boost on offense.
“We’re quick, and the addition of Paopao adds another shooter out there that you have to pay a lot of attention to, and it creates more space,” Smesko said. “We were able to drive some and get to the rim, so I think there are some benefits as long as we can have some good matchups on the other end.”
With the Dream already having momentum in the third quarter, Hillmon had a sequence where she grabbed three offensive rebounds in a row, and Allisha Gray ended it with a score.
“I just wanna come in and do the little things, or the dirty work, or the things that show up on the stat sheet,” Hillmon said.
The Dream are now on a three-game winning streak, and they'll be on another road trip with hopes of keeping the momentum going.
