With the Dream trailing the Indiana Fever 18-12 at the end of the first quarter Tuesday, coach Marynell Meadors challenged her team to improve its play on defense.
Consider the message heeded.
After allowing the Fever to make 50 percent (8-for-16) of their field-goal attempts in the opening quarter, the Dream clamped down the rest of the way, as the Fever converted only 23.9 percent (11-of-46) of their shots in the final three quarters. The sterling defensive performance helped the Dream (6-7) defeat the Fever 70-58 and pick up their second consecutive win, which marked the first time this season they have put together consecutive victories.
"I really felt like when we played New York on Sunday and when we played Indiana today, that we're coming together as a team," Meadors said. "We're beginning to learn each other's moves. We're getting more familiar with things on [offense], but I think we have to give credit to our defense today. We played great defense."
As a testament to the Dream's stinginess, no player on the Fever (7-5) was able to post double-digits in scoring. The trio of Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas and Jessica Davenport had eight points apiece to lead the visitors. Both of those totals were well under the season averages for Catchings and Douglas, who average 18.1 and 16.5 points per game, respectively.
"They are two tough ones to defend," Meadors said. "You always have to know where they are, and even if you know where they are, they're going to score. I thought that we did limit their touches, and we made them rush some of their shots."
The Dream's duo of Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle had no such issues scoring. McCoughtry, the WNBA's leading scorer at 22.7 points per game, finished just below her season average with a game-high 22 points against the Fever, while Lyttle scored 17.
Meadors was pleased that her team won the rebounding battle 41-29, helped by contributions off the bench from Cathrine Kraayeveld and Tiffany Hayes. Kraayeveld grabbed a season-best 10 rebounds, while Hayes brought down seven, a career-high tally for the rookie guard.
The win not only helped the Dream improve to 5-4 at home this season, but it came in front of their second-largest crowd of the season, which coincided with a noon tipoff to accommodate the team's "kid's day" event.
"I love 'kid's day,'" Meadors said. "They were cheering for us, and I thought it was huge."
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