When Angel McCoughtry released the potential game-winning shot from the right wing, she was unsure. The shot was true though.
McCoughtry’s two-point jumper at the buzzer, in front of Chicago’s bench, gave the Dream a 74-73 victory at Philips Arena on Friday night and ended a two-game losing streak.
“At first I didn’t think I’d get open,” said McCoughtry, who led the Dream with 18 points. “But somehow I got loose and got the ball and got up a shot.”
The Dream (3-4) led by 10 points with about six minutes remaining, the largest lead of the game for either team, but the Sky took the lead with 1:23 left on a jumper from guard Courtney Vandersloot, who had 18 points.
Seconds earlier, the Sky (2-3) benefited from a controversial call. Forward Elena Delle Donne brought the Sky within one on a three-point play, but Donne’s shot from the floor wasn’t good. Still Donne, who scored a game-high 26 points, was award two points and then shot one free throw, which she made.
All three of the referees told Dream coach Michael Cooper the ball went through the net and said they didn’t have the power to review the call, Cooper said.
The Dream had two new additions to the roster Friday. With forward Tiffany Hayes, the Dream’s second-highest scorer entering Friday, and forward/center Anieka Henry at the 2015 European Games, the Dream signed forward Cierra Burdick and guard Sydney Carter on Wednesday.
Burdick, a rookie, led all bench players with 11 points in her WNBA debut.
“I just try to play with a ton of passion,” Burdick said. “The shots will fall. I’m just grateful and thankful for the opportunity the Dream have given me.”
The Dream started strong, unlike Tuesday’s 90-79 loss, and led 21-13 after the first quarter. The Dream maintained a one-point lead, 37-36, at halftime even though forward Sancho Lyttle sat out the last seven-plus minutes with three fouls.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half. At the end of three quarters, the Dream nursed a 56-54 lead.
The Dream appeared to pull away midway through the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run that extended their lead to 10. But the Sky battled back behind Delle Donne, who scored 10 of their last 15 points.
After the Sky took a one-point lead on Vandersloot’s shot, the Dream missed four consecutive shots, including three in their next-to-last possession.
But Sky center Clarissa Dos Santos missed two free throws with 1.6 seconds left, setting the stage for McCoughtry’s game-winner.
“We needed the game a little bit more,” Cooper said. “It’s been a tough first six games for us, but we’re slowly and surely fighting our way out of it.”
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