Atlanta Dream re-signs guard Latta

Ivory Latta is back.

The Dream signed one of its original members Friday, one month after they waived the point guard right before the start of the season. To make room for her, the Dream waived point guard Nikki Teasley, who had started all 10 previous games this season.

Latta made her debut in a 72-65 win over the Washington Mystics in front of an announced crowd of 5,456 at Philips Arena. Latta was greeted with a loud ovation during pregame introductions and when she entered the game with 1:03 left in the first half. She would only play that one minute. She didn’t have to play more.

Chamique Holdsclaw led the Dream (5-6), who surpassed last year’s win total after having lost four of their past five games. Holdsclaw finished with 18 points, including 10 in the third quarter. Sancho Lyttle added 16 points, including 12 of the Dream’s first 16.

Dream general manager and coach Marynell Meadors said long-range shooting was the reason for the roster move. The Dream entered the game shooting only 28.9 percent from beyond the 3-point line, 12th in the 13-team WNBA.

“One of the things that we’ve been missing is 3-point shooting,” Meadors said. “Ivory is a 3-point shooter. I tried to get Nikki shoot that 3, and she just doesn’t shoot it. I’m not mad at Nikki. Nikki’s not mad at me. She knows it’s a business. Right now, I thought Ivory would give us a lift.

“I’ve talked to Nikki. We’ve had a lot of conversations about what I need her to do. I don’t want to place any blame on one person, it’s just a matter of what we need for this team.”

Latta, 5-foot-6, appeared in all 34 games last year, the Dream’s inaugural season. She was second on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game and led the team with 3.6 assists. Latta, who attended North Carolina, was selected by the Detroit Shock in the 2007 draft (11th overall) and chosen by the Dream in the 2008 expansion draft.

“It feels real good to be back in Atlanta,” Latta said. “I love this place. … I definitely bring a lot of enthusiasm. I can also score as a guard. I just bring a lot of heart and play with a lot of passion.”

Latta said she was disappointed when released by the Dream on June 3. She spent some time with her family and worked out. It was during one of those workouts that she got the news of her return to the Dream.

“I was working out … and I happened to go to my bag, and my agent had called,” Latta said. “I just put the ball down and I left.”