The worst team in the WNBA’s East Conference ran away from the Atlanta Dream early Sunday afternoon and the Dream could never find them.
The Connecticut Sun built an 11-point halftime lead that swelled to 16 entering the fourth quarter and Dream never countered, losing 85-76 in Uncasville, Conn. The Sun (2-5), one of the league’s poorest shooting teams (39 percent), broke out with a 46 percent day and the Dream (3-3) managed to lead for just 13 seconds, that coming late in the first quarter.
Tiffany Hayes paced Atlanta (3-3) with 17 points while Erika de Souza had 15 points and eight rebounds. Two-time WNBA leading scorer Angel McCoughtry was 2-for-14 from the field and had a season-low seven points.
“They made us look like we are a worse team than we are,” Hayes said. “We know we could have done better and we could have definitely beat that team. But they came out and showed us that they wanted to win tonight and they got it.”
The Dream have lost seven of their last eight regular-season road games. They are also 4-11 at Connecticut, where they have lost four straight.
“Connecticut is a very good basketball team, a young team,” Dream coach Michael Cooper said. “They are a team of the future. But right now, they are making some good strides and we didn’t come out and establish ourselves early and do the things that we wanted to accomplish. And when that happens, it’s not a good game for you.”
Suns Rookie Chiney Ogwumike had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Renee Montgomery had 18 points. Allison Hightower added 13 points and six rebounds.
McCoughtry, who missed a game last weekend against Chicago due to a shoulder injury, was held scoreless in the first half in her least productive game of the season. She has seven 30-point career games against the Sun.
“I think she is still hurting a little bit,” Cooper said. “She had something in her back and she has been tight. … We need to find her a little rest whenever we can and cut back some of her minutes in practice, but she will be there when we need her.”
Nadia Gomes Colhado gave the Dream its first lead with a 16-footer for a 16-15 advantage with three minutes left in the opening quarter. But the Sun’s Allison Hightower replied with a 3-pointer and Connecticut went on a 13-2 run and never trailed again.
The Dream trailed by as many as 21 points (78-57) with over five minutes left.
“It was really frustrating and I don’t think we got a true rhythm,” McCoughtry said. “We know this is not Dream basketball and this is not how we play.”
Five technical fouls were called in the game between the two teams, four of which were called on Atlanta. Matee Ajavon was ejected following her second technical foul with 4:23 remaining.
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