Dream come close against Lynx, lose late lead in OT setback

Collier converted on a fastbreak layup off a perfectly timed pass from Williams to tie the game at 90. On the next possession, the Lynx star called for the ball in the post, rose up over Naz Hillmon and buried a go-ahead jumper to put Minnesota in front, 92-90.

With less than a minute to play, Gray drove to the rim for what appeared to be a foul on Minnesota. However, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve challenged the referee’s call and it was overturned, giving Minnesota possession in the contest.

Rhyne Howard registered a steal to keep the Dream alive during Minnesota’s offensive possession. Jordin Canada, however, couldn’t finish the layup that would have evened the score.

McBride then calmly sank multiple pairs of free throws in the final seconds to ice the game and seal a gritty road win for the Lynx.

With the loss, the Dream dropped to 6-2 at home this season.

Bri Jones powered the Dream with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds, leading a balanced offensive effort that saw five other Dream players score in double figures. Brittney Griner added 16 points and seven boards, while Gray and Howard chipped in 15 points apiece. Canada scored 14 and Hillmon contributed 10.

“I really liked the way that we came together after being down early,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said postgame. “Now we just got to take that next step. We just have to be able to finish some of these (games) off.”

Collier led the Lynx (13-2) with 26 points, followed by Williams with 16, McBride with 14 and Bridget Carleton with 14 points.

Hillmon opened the fourth quarter with a clutch 3-pointer, sparking the Dream offense at a critical moment. On the next trip down the floor, Canada found the Dream forward cutting to the rim for a layup, pushing the team’s lead to 77-73.

The two-time WNBA champion kept the momentum going. With the Dream leading 80-75, Canada blew past Williams for a layup, giving the Dream their largest lead of the night at 82-75 and putting Minnesota on its heels.

As the clock ticked down, Jones came through with a second-chance bucket, extending the Dream’s lead to 86-82 with just over a minute remaining. But Collier responded for the Lynx, scoring 4 straight points — including a layup and two free throws after Canada’s foul — to tie the game at 86 with 21 seconds left.

Howard had a chance to win the contest in regulation but her final shot missed the mark, sending the game into overtime.

When asked about the Dream’s late-game execution, Smesko said the team cannot afford to “slow down” on its intensity if it hopes to win critical games down the stretch.

“We were playing hard,” Smesko said. “But as soon as you start to slow down and you’re thinking you’re going to protect something, I think you’re really giving an advantage to the defense. … You really have to kind of have that mentality that you’re not going to slow down. … I think sometimes, if you’re down by 5, all of a sudden, you’d be cutting really hard with the urgency to try to win the game. And then when you’re up by 5, it’s like, all right, let’s make sure that we have everything under control. … I just think that’s the wrong thing to do. But, it’s really a human nature thing.”

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Smesko’s emphasis on his team scoring in the paint set the tone to start the third quarter. Griner scored on back-to-back possessions and Jones followed with a driving layup to give the Dream a 53-52 lead. Minnesota, however, responded again, tying the game at 58 just a few possessions later in what became a tightly contested second half.

The Dream went on an 8-2 run that was punctuated by a Canada steal and fastbreak layup, giving them a 66-60 advantage with 3:05 to play in the quarter. Minnesota closed the quarter on a 9-3 run behind 3s from Carleton and Karlie Samuelson, giving the Lynx a 69-68 lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Dream’s struggles carried over into the second quarter.

As the Dream searched for offensive rhythm, the Lynx stretched their lead to 17 behind back-to-back 3s from Carleton and Collier, who also knocked down a tough pullup jumper. The teams traded scores over several possessions until an unexpected weather delay. Inclement weather caused lights in GCA’s main concourse to flicker, pausing the game for eight minutes.

However, that break sparked life into the Dream. Down 48-33 with 3:22 left in the first half, the Dream caught fire. They closed the quarter on a 19-7 run, capped by a strong finish in the post by Jones to trim the deficit to 52-47 at halftime.

“We started playing better,” Smesko said. “Energy picked up all of a sudden. We got some deflections. … From that point on, I thought we played great.”

Despite early miscues, the Dream shot a scorching 66% from the field in the first half (19-of-29), while Minnesota stayed hot as well hitting 56% of their shots (19-of-34).

The Lynx came out firing in the first quarter, quickly building a 16-8 lead after Williams stole the ball from Howard and coasted for a layup. Although the Dream responded with a few buckets of their own, Minnesota controlled the pace and closed the quarter ahead 28-20. The Lynx turned seven Atlanta turnovers into 13 points in the opening frame.

The Dream will return to action at 3 p.m. Sunday against the New York Liberty.