Dream clinches playoff berth
The Dream selected Angel McCoughtry with the top pick in the 2009 draft and they haven't missed the playoffs since.
The All-Star forward showed why on Sunday, sparking the Dream to a 73-53 victory over Tulsa at Philips Arena. Atlanta clinched one of four Eastern Conference playoff spots.
The Dream shook off a slow start to dominate the Shock (3-28), who own the league's worst record. Atlanta (18-14), the defending East champion, started the season 3-9 but has won 10 of its last 13 with two regular-season games left.
“We felt like if we could get this win we could take a deep breath,” Dream coach Marynell Meadors said.
Tulsa (3-28) opened with a barrage of 3-pointers to lead 11-2 and was ahead 26-25 late in the second quarter. McCoughtrycouldn't get on track as the Shock got physical with her when she caught the ball.
“I was getting mad because I was getting pushed around,” McCoughtry said. “And when I get mad, I get in attack mode.”
McCoughtry's 3-pointer put the Dream ahead for good. She scored 10 of the Dream's last 11 points over the final 3:37 of the second quarter for a 36-26 lead.
McCoughtry, the league's second-leading scorer, had a game-high 19 points.
“At any moment she can do just about anything you want her to do,” Meadors said. “It takes her a little while to get started but once she gets started, she sees a lot of things happening that we don't even see.”
McCouhgtry's scoring cooled off after halftime but the Dream guards Lindsey Harding and Armintie Price picked up the slack. They finished with 13 points and forward Sancho Lyttle had 10 points.
Atlanta overwhelmed Tulsa by running at every opportunity and scoring 22 points in transition.
“They're a good open-court team,” said Tulsa coach Teresa Edwards, the former University of Georgia star. “If they build on this game today [with] the momentum they've built, they're in a great place for the playoffs.”
New York lost later on Sunday to fall into a third-place tie with Atlanta. Connecticut (20-12) also won on Sunday to gain ground on Indiana, which played Chicago on Sunday night.
After McCoughtry capped her second-quarter burst with a jump shot, she turned and pumped a fist at Mary Brock, one of the two new majority owners of the franchise. The Dream announced Saturday that Brock and Kelly Loeffler have taken ownership of the franchise from Kathy Betty.
Betty has been managing partner since Brock and Loeffler were added to the ownership in January.
"The Dream will always be very special to me," Betty said in a team release. "We accomplished a lot in the last two seasons -- including winning the Eastern Conference Championship and increasing ticket sales and sponsorships. Mary and Kelly's connections to the community and passion for the game have, and will continue to be, great assets to the team."
Terms of the transfer, which is pending league approval, were not disclosed. The added investments from Brock and Loeffler are expected to bolster the team's finances as it seeks to reduce financial losses this year and turn a profit in 2012.
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