College Park, Ga. — After a sluggish start, the Atlanta Dream caught fire and never looked back, powering past the Washington Mystics 99-83 on Sunday afternoon. Brionna Jones poured in 23 points, and Allisha Gray followed closely with 22 as Atlanta extended its win streak to three games.
The Dream (18-11) opened the game cold, missing their first six shots and falling into a 10-0 hole. But the early struggles didn’t last. Atlanta flipped the switch in the second and third quarters, outscoring Washington 59-37 across those two frames and shooting a red-hot 56% after an ice-cold first quarter.
Naz Hillmon had a standout all-around performance with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jordan Canada also came up big, adding 16 points and dishing out 9 assists as Atlanta recorded its second straight game setting a new season-high in points.
Washington (13-15) was led by Kiki Iriafen’s 22 points. Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin each chipped in 16, and Sug Sutton added 13, but it wasn’t enough to stop a surging Dream squad. The loss drops the Mystics to 9th place in the standings, having dropped five of their last seven games.
The Mystics were in control early, ending the first quarter with a 23-12 lead. However, Atlanta came alive in the second quarter, hitting 11 of 19 from the field and forcing nine Washington turnovers. A 17-4 closing run sent the Dream into halftime with a 40-39 edge.
From there, the momentum stayed with Atlanta. The Dream shot 65% in the third quarter (13-of-20) and forced another string of turnovers, adding 10 more points off Washington’s mistakes. Brionna Jones scored 14 in the quarter alone as Atlanta stretched its lead to as much as 13, heading into the fourth up 71-60.
Defense was key for the Dream throughout — they turned 22 Washington turnovers into a whopping 33 points.
Atlanta now looks to build on its hot streak as the postseason inches closer, while Washington will need to regroup quickly to stay in the playoff race.
