Brionna Jones scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-10 field goal shooting Sunday and the Atlanta Dream shrugged off a ragged start to stop the visiting Washington Mystics 99-83.
Allisha Gray added 22 for Atlanta (18-11), which won for the fifth time in six games and accomplished a season high in scoring for a second straight game. Jordin Canada contributed 16 points and nine assists, while Naz Hillmon chipped in a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double. Nia Coffey came off the bench to tally 15 points.
Rookie Kiki Iriafen scored 22 points to pace Washington (13-15), connecting on 9 of 15 attempts from the field. Shakira Austin added 16 but also committed seven of the Mystics’ 22 turnovers. Sonia Citron also hit for 16 points, and Sug Sutton finished with 13 points.
The game was rife with mistakes as the teams combined for 43 turnovers. But the main difference was what the teams did with the opponent’s mistakes. The Dream cashed in Washington’s turnovers for 33 points and the Mystics managed just 20 points off Atlanta’s 21 miscues.
The Dream made 56.3 percent of their field goal attempts and earned a 33-19 rebounding advantage. They led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Looking for a win to help its playoff chances, Washington jumped out to a fast start, forcing five turnovers in the first four minutes and scoring the first 10 points. The Mystics pushed the lead as high as 13 before settling for a 23-12 advantage going to the second quarter.
Atlanta turned the tide late in the second quarter when it started forcing turnovers at a rapid clip. Down 35-23, the Dream went on a 17-2 run, taking the lead for good on Canada’s layup with 51.7 seconds left. They got to the half up 40-39.
Atlanta kept expanding the lead in the third quarter, making it double figures for the first time on Jones’ 3-point play at the 3:11 mark. Jones added a layup with 6.6 seconds remaining to send the Dream to the fourth quarter with a 71-60 cushion.
–Field Level Media
