Rhyne Howard scored 26 points and Angel Reese added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Atlanta Dream set a franchise record for points in a game with a convincing 124-88 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday.
Reese shot 9-for-9 from the floor, breaking the single-game franchise record for most field goals without a miss. She delivered her 25th double-double of the season for fifth-place Atlanta, which won for the 10th time in its past 13 games.
Naz Hillmon scored 14 points, Allisha Gray had 13 and Madina Okot added 12 as the Dream (23-13) fell one point shy of the WNBA record for points in a regulation contest. The Toronto Tempo set that mark this year in a 125-97 rout of the Sparks on June 25.
Cameron Brink scored 14 points and Rae Burrell added 12 for the Sparks (12-24), who were officially eliminated from playoff consideration. Nneka Ogwumike, who on Wednesday announced her upcoming retirement after 15 seasons, had 11 points.
Los Angeles, which lost its sixth game in a row, will miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.
Brink added seven rebounds after missing the previous two games with a rib injury. Los Angeles fell to 2-13 in a stretch that began with a July 13 loss at Atlanta. The Sparks committed 21 turnovers, including five from Burrell.
Los Angeles’ Monique Akoa Makani scored three points in 15 minutes after missing the previous five games with an ankle injury.
The Dream left little doubt from the outset, going on 9-0 run to take a 9-2 lead less than three minutes into the game. Consecutive 3-pointers from Howard late in the first quarter gave Atlanta a 34-12 advantage.
The Dream led 62-41 at halftime after shooting 63.9% from the floor as Reese scored 18 points. The onslaught continued into the second half as Atlanta took a 94-62 edge into the fourth quarter.
The Dream passed their previous season high of 113 points on a jumper from Shatori Walker-Kimbrough with 3:49 remaining.
Atlanta improved to 2-0 on a four-game road trip and will return to Los Angeles on Monday after a stop at Phoenix on Saturday.
Los Angeles fell to 5-12 at home and remained tied for the lowest number of home victories in the WNBA this season.
–Field Level Media
