The Atlanta Dream entered Sunday’s matchup against the Toronto Tempo riding a three-game winning streak after scoring more than 100 points in each of those victories. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Dream earned a convincing win behind Allisha Gray’s 26-point performance.
The Dream wasted no time setting the tone, opening the game on a 7-0 run. Julie Allemand connected on a three-pointer to score Toronto’s first points of the game. By the 7:01 mark of the first quarter, Atlanta had turned Toronto turnovers into five points and extended its lead to 12-3.
Angel Reese delivered a key block on Isabelle Harrison before finding Madina Okot in transition for an assist. Okot followed with an and-one opportunity in the paint against Temi Fagbenle, giving Atlanta a 21-8 advantage and seven early points. After Toronto committed its fourth turnover of the quarter, Gray converted an easy transition layup as the Dream built a 26-8 lead with 3:11 remaining in the period.
Harrison’s three-pointer and Laura Juskaite’s free throws helped Toronto trim the deficit, but Atlanta still held a commanding 33-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Tempo committed seven turnovers in the opening period, which the Dream converted into 13 points.
Toronto opened the second quarter searching for momentum behind Harrison and Nyara Sabally, who scored the team’s first nine points of the period. Meanwhile, the Dream received contributions from four different scorers in the first four minutes.
Okot continued to dominate the paint, adding four more points by the 5:39 mark. Gray knocked down a corner three-pointer with 1:26 remaining in the half to push the lead to 56-37. Atlanta entered halftime leading 59-41 while shooting 51 percent from the field. Toronto shot 42 percent overall but struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 23 percent of its three-point attempts. Tempo star Marina Mabrey was held to just five first-half points.
Toronto found a spark coming out of halftime as Mabrey scored six early points to help the Tempo cut the deficit to 12. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Rhyne Howard pushed Atlanta’s lead back to 20 with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Juskaite drew a foul and helped trim the lead to 15, but an Izzy Borlase three-pointer extended Atlanta’s advantage back to 18. The Dream carried an 81-65 lead into the fourth quarter. Toronto improved its shooting percentage to nearly 53 percent in the third but did not attempt a free throw during the period. Atlanta shot 44 percent from three-point range in the quarter.
The Dream opened the final period on a 6-0 run before the Tempo answered with an 8-0 run of their own. Howard stopped the surge with a three-pointer. Mabrey later converted two free throws to pull Toronto within 12 points with 3:07 remaining.
Gray responded once again for Atlanta, attacking the basket and drawing contact on a layup attempt. She was fouled on the play but was unable to complete the three-point play opportunity. With less than two minutes remaining, Juskaite hit three free throws to bring the score to 93-83. A Kia Nurse three-pointer brought the Tempo within double digits as the Dream led 94-87 with 21.5 seconds remaining.
After another failed three-point attempt by Toronto, the Dream were able to hold onto their lead as Jordin Canada dribbled out the clock. When time expired, Atlanta secured the 94-87 victory.
The Dream now head on the road for a four-game road trip and improve to 12-4 on the season.
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