Dream dominate Sun, Smesko sets WNBA first-year coaching record

By the time Frankie Beverly and Maze’s “Before I Let Go” echoed through a sold-out Gateway Center Arena, fans were on their feet, swaying and singing along. What had started as a back-and-forth grind had long since turned into a party, as the Atlanta Dream pulled away and danced their way to an 87-62 rout of the Connecticut Sun on Monday night.

For the Dream, the win was more than just another tally in the standings. It lifted them to 29-14 and gave them a 2-1 edge against Connecticut (11-32) with one meeting still to come. It also stamped a milestone for first-year coach Karl Smesko, whose 29 victories stand as the most ever by a WNBA coach in an inaugural season, eclipsing the 28 Michael Cooper notched with the Los Angeles Sparks back in 2008.

Still, Smesko walked into the postgame wearing a black hoodie, his hair appearing slightly damp from a locker room celebration. Calm and measured, just as he has been all season, he brushed aside talk of milestones. What he’s built in his first year has been anything but simple. Yet in typical Smesko fashion, he shifted the focus forward to closing out the regular season strong, chasing a deep playoff run and the franchise’s first WNBA championship.

“Those things don’t have a lot of meaning for me,” Smesko said postgame. “The meaningful part is coming up. It’s nice that we’re winning and we’re in a good position for the playoffs. Are we going to be the best prepared for the playoffs? Everybody did a lot of work so far this year to get us to where we are. We want to make sure that we have the right finish to a great season.”

The Dream never let up in the fourth quarter, stretching their lead to as many as 28 when Maya Caldwell finished her second acrobatic layup to make it 84-56. Connecticut mustered only six points the rest of the way, all from Aneesah Morrow, as the Dream coasted to the win.

Rhyne Howard led a balanced Atlanta attack, one of five Dream players to reach double figures, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals. Allisha Gray contributed 15 points and six boards, while Naz Hillmon added 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Maya Caldwell scored 11 points, surpassing 500 for her career, and Brittney Griner chipped in 10 off the bench.

The third quarter mirrored the second as the Dream held a narrow edge before breaking loose. The Dream caught fire late in the frame, ripping off a 16-3 run to seize control. Howard fueled the surge, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting during the stretch. The Dream’s pace set the tone as they piled up 10 fast-break points and 16 in the paint, building a 68-52 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Hillmon said the turning point came on the defensive end. The Dream’s relentless pressure sparked a string of high-efficiency offensive possessions, fueling the surge that ultimately put the game out of reach.

“We play our best offense when we get stops (defensively), we’re able to push in transition, find open players and get the defenders in mismatches or not quite matched up,” Hillmon said.

Smesko echoed Hillmon’s observation.

“... I think at halftime they realized that defensively we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to get accomplished,” Smesko said. “They (Sun) hit some tough shots, and they were still playing very well. But I thought we had another level that we could get to defensively. I thought we came out in the third quarter, and we kind of showed what we’re capable of being on that end of the floor.”

Saniya Rivers led Connecticut with a team-high 16 points, while Aneesah Morrow recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Tina Charles added 12 points.