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WNBA Atlanta Dream

Atlanta Dream Take Win Over Dallas Wings

September 6, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Atlanta Dream News Release


The Dream erased a 16-point deficit to come back and defeat the Wings by 11 in their first overtime game of the 2024 season. 107 points is the most points scored in a game by Atlanta this year and tied for fourth for any WNBA team in 2024.

Howard powered the Dream with a dominant performance, totaling 33 points, three rebounds, six assists and one steal. She went 12-for-26 from the field and 6-for-17 from 3-point range.

Howard became the first Dream player since Angel McCoughtry in 2013 to put up consecutive 30+ point performances.

Howard tied Diana Taurasi for most regular season WNBA games with 5+ made threes in a player's first three seasons.

She also reached fifth in Dream franchise history for most 3-point field goals in a single season with her third 3-pointer of the night. Howard passed Betty Lennox's 63 in 2008.

Charles followed with her sixteenth double-double of the season and 189th of her career, recording 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Charles claimed No. 2 in Dream Franchise history for most double-doubles in a single season and now sits only four away from No. 1 overall.

Hillmon notched a new career-high with 18 points on the night to go with eight rebounds. The forward went 6-for-7 from the field and 6-for-10 from the free throw line.

Canada recorded her first double-double of her Dream career with 15 points and a season-high 10 assists.

Quotes:

Wright on the night overall...

"What a phenomenal effort by our athletes tonight. Just heart, resilience, not giving up in a playoff atmosphere. That was a playoff game. We understand that every game from here on out is going to be like that for us. And that type of fight, that type of energy is going to be needed as we continue to make our playoff push."

Wright on the first half...

"We had good shots; we didn't knock them down. That happens sometimes. But being able to stay with it and keep your focus, to move on to the next play is really important, and I thought we exhibited that today."

Hillmon on the group's momentum...

"We knew that going into this game and we wanted to be aggressive, and once you just get into your rhythm and your feel it just kind of takes off."

Howard on the crowd energy...

"It definitely was a momentum shifter for us because, everybody's energy was just really, really good. The crowd was feeding into us."

Game Summary:

Q1:

Howard scored the Dream's first five points, knocking down a 24-foot 3-pointer and jump shot on back-to-back possessions. The guard went 2-for-7 from the field and recorded an assist to Hillmon to lead Atlanta in the first.

Howard, Hillmon, Gray and Canada played all 10 minutes in the opening period. Charles played 8:55.

Hillmon followed with four points, a team-high of three rebounds and one steal.

Charles and Gray chipped in two points each.

Atlanta outscored Dallas in fast break points, 4-2 in the first.

Q2:

Charles, Howard and Hillmon combined for 18 of the Dream's 26 second quarter points.

Howard tallied seven points, two assists and a rebound in the second to notch a team-high of 12 points for the half. The guard shot 3-for-6 from the field in quarter.

Hillmon went a perfect 2-for-2 from the field, dished one assist and grabbed two boards in the second.

The Dream outpaced the Wings in both second chance points (2-0) and fast break points (5-2) in the second.

As a team, Atlanta shot 61.1% from the field.

Defensively, three different Dream players recorded a steal in the first half: Hillmon, Gray and Canada.

Q3:

Howard provided the Dream with a dosage of offensive momentum as the third closed, knocking down back-to-back shots to begin an Atlanta comeback. The guard led all scorers with 11 points in the quarter, including a pair of three-pointers.

Gray followed with two consecutive layups. The guard converted in transition after Charles picked up her first steal of the game.

Charles then finished a put-back layup to cut the Dallas lead to six points, 69-75. The center led the Dream's effort on the boards, recording four rebounds in the period.

Going into the fourth, Atlanta totaled an 11-2 run in a two-minute stretch.

The Dream held Dallas to 29.4% shooting in the third quarter while shooting 60% from the field as a team.

Q4:

The Dream run continued into the fourth, growing into a 16-6 run.

After the Wings answered Atlanta's initial run, the Dream countered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit back down to five points, 80-85.

Canada then tied it up for the Dream 85-85, swiping a steal from Dalla's Natasha Howard for a layup.

Atlanta's second half comeback continued to push on, bursting to a 17-5 run with under two minutes to play.

Charles then gave the Dream its first lead of the game at 91-89, sinking a hook shot with one minute to go.

OT:

The Dream picked up where it left off, jumping out to a 7-0 run fueled by conversions from Hillmon, Canada and Howard as overtime began.

Howard knocked down a 25-foot 3-pointer to give Atlanta the lead at 102-96 with three minutes left to play.

Canada accounted for nearly 80% of the Dream's overtime offense with four points, three assists and seven points created from assists.

Defensively the Dream held the Wings to shooting just 33.3% from the field and recorded one steal.

Atlanta outscored the Wings in second chance points, 2-0, and fast break points, 3-0.

The Dream shot 62.5% from the field, 66.7% from 3-point range and 75% from the free throw line in the period.

Check out the Atlanta Dream Statistics

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