The Dream reversed script Tuesday.
Two days after the Dream led for more than 37 minutes in a win, the Dream trailed for the entire game Tuesday night in an 85-75 loss to Tulsa at Philips Arena. The Dream cut the deficit to one twice late in the fourth quarter but squandered opportunities to take the lead with poor offensive possessions.
“A lot of it was our inability to do the right thing at the right time,” coach Michael Cooper said. “Turnovers weren’t a big issue for us throughout the game. It was a big issue for us at important times in the game.”
The Dream trailed by two with less than two minutes remaining when forward Angel McCoughtry turned the ball over. On the next possession with the Dream trailing by three, guard Tiffany Hayes committed an offensive foul.
The Dream had one last chance, but McCoughtry missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining. The Dream never got closer than five the rest of the way.
“When we get too tired we stop thinking,” said forward Sancho Lyttle, who was second on the team with 14 points. “Sometimes (those mistakes)happen when we try to do something that is out of the ordinary.”
While McCoughtry led the Dream with 25 points, she was 8-for-28 from the field.
Familiar issues, a slow start and poor defense, plagued the Dream (5-7). The Shock (9-4) jumped to a seven-point first quarter lead as they shot over 73 percent in the period. While the Shock’s shooting eventually cooled down — they shot less than 40 percent — two 20-point plus scorers and a career-high 16 points from rookie point guard Brianna Kiesel was enough.
The Shock entered Tuesday on a three-game losing streak. They hadn’t won since All-Star guard Skylar Diggins tore her ACL in a June 28th victory and were without starting guard Odyssey Sims, who’s nursing a day-to-day leg injury.
The Dream appeared to be headed in the right direction. On Sunday, they won their second consecutive game and welcomed back guard Hayes, the team’s second-leading scorer, and forward/center Aneika Henry after the pair missed five games while at the 2015 European Games.
Hayes’ shooting troubles continued Tuesday, though. She’s 6-for-25 from the field since her return. Henry scored a season-high 13 points.
The Shock led 29-21 after the first quarter and opened the second period with a basket, but the Dream closed the gap to one with a 10-1 run. The Shock responded and led by seven, 48-41, at half.
The Dream battled back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with six points from McCoughtry and five from a rejuvenated Hayes.
But the comeback effort fell short, and the Dream suffered their fourth home loss, as many as they lost all last season.
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