Dream Rally in Fourth Quarter to Edge Wings 82-81 Behind Gray, Reese

The Atlanta Dream erased a double-digit second-half deficit and closed the game on a 30-point fourth quarter to defeat the Dallas Wings 82-81 on Tuesday night at College Park Center.

Atlanta trailed by as many as 15 points and entered the fourth quarter down 64-52 before outscoring Dallas 30-17 over the final 10 minutes. After Allisha Gray converted three free throws with 18 seconds remaining following a Flagrant 1 foul by Arike Ogunbowale, she knocked down a fadeaway jumper with 15 seconds left to give the Dream the lead for good, 82-81.

Dallas had one final opportunity to win. Awak Kuier’s jumper with two seconds remaining missed, but Jessica Shepard grabbed the offensive rebound to give the Wings one last chance. Shepard’s tip-in attempt at the buzzer was off the mark, allowing Atlanta to hold on for the one-point victory.

Gray led Atlanta with 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. Angel Reese recorded another double-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals, while Brionna Jones added 11 points. Isobel Borlase provided 10 points off the bench as Atlanta’s reserves outscored Dallas’ bench 21-1.

The Dream overcame a difficult shooting night from beyond the arc, making just 1 of 16 three-point attempts, by dominating inside. Atlanta finished with 58 points in the paint, compared to Dallas’ 40, and outrebounded the Wings 37-32.

Dallas was led by Arike Ogunbowale’s 24 points, while Azzi Fudd added 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Jessica Shepard finished with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Paige Bueckers contributed 16 points and six assists.

Despite the loss, Wings head coach Jose Hernandez praised his team’s effort but pointed to several key areas that ultimately proved costly.

“We didn’t get tight, but the points in the paint hurt us,” Hernandez said. “You’re up five or six, you miss some free throws, you give up free throws, all that stuff adds up.”

Atlanta shot 44.3 percent from the field, while Dallas connected on 49.3 percent of its attempts. However, the Dream’s advantage in the paint, their 19 made free throws and timely execution in the closing minutes helped offset Dallas’ more efficient shooting.

Hernandez also explained why he elected not to call a timeout before Dallas’ final possession.

“It depends on time, score and opponent,” Hernandez said. “Atlanta’s the No. 1 defense in the league on sideline out-of-bounds plays. I didn’t want to call timeout and have them set their defense. We felt we’d get a better look playing in flow than we ended up with.”

The coach acknowledged the final possession will receive much of the attention but emphasized the game was decided well before the closing seconds.

“If we defend better in that fourth quarter, don’t give up offensive rebounds and make our free throws, then it doesn’t come down to that last possession where everybody remembers,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez credited Atlanta’s size and interior attack as the difference.

“Their size and us not being able to contain the dribble,” he said. “We’ve talked about it for the last two days—points in the paint by dribble penetration, post entries and second-chance baskets. That’s what they’re good at.”

With the victory, Atlanta improved to 17-10 and continued its strong road play, while Dallas fell to 18-10 despite leading for more than 35 minutes and holding a 15-point advantage during the second half.