The Dream played to the script in their game against the New York Liberty, but they and coach Michael Cooper would have loved a last-minute rewrite.
After going to overtime in their past two games with New York, the Dream went into a pair of extra sessions in the team’s 90-79 loss Wednesday. The Dream (8-5) couldn’t keep up with New York (9-4) in the final five minutes and were outscored 14-3 in the team’s first double-overtime game since July 2014.
“We just caught a team that was red hot at this point,” Cooper said. “They just wanted it a little bit more than us.”
Angel McCoughtry led the Dream in scoring, with 22 points. Tiffany Hayes and Elizabeth Williams also played important roles in the offense and ended the game with 17 points and 16 points, respectively.
The loss overshadowed the Dream’s mad dash down the stretch. After trailing the Liberty for the majority of the game, the Dream scored five consecutive points in the final two minutes of regulation. Meighan Simmons tied the score 70-70 on a 3-pointer with 1:14, snapping an 0-for-14 skid for the team behind the arc.
“At that point, I knew the coaches put me in for a reason,” said Simmons, who finished with four points. “When they put you in, they need you to score.”
The first overtime session was just as hectic for the Dream. Down four points with 90 seconds left, the Dream inched its way back with a jump shot from Sancho Lyttle. Hayes forced the second overtime with five seconds to go, as she stole an errant pass and brought it down the court for a layup to tie the game 76-76.
The defeat put a damper on Lyttle’s return to the team. After helping Spain qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Lyttle led the charge for a Dream defense that stifled New York for much of the game.
Lyttle ended the game two steals from a triple-double, having scored 11 points with 11 rebounds. Five of her eight steals in the game came in the second quarter.
While it was an impressive game back after missing the past four games, Lyttle shook off the performance.
“It was just another game,” Lyttle said. “I’ve been playing here for a long time, so it doesn’t feel any different. I just had to go out there and play.”
Atlanta must shake off the loss to New York, which sits atop the Eastern Conference, and prepare for its longest road stretch so far in 2016. According to Cooper, the Dream need to understand the importance of their three games on the road against San Antonio, Seattle and Los Angeles.
“We have to take a deep breath,” Cooper said. “(The loss) puts a lot of stress on this road trip. I think we can go out there and get three in a row.”
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