Dream journey balanced assault to take down Tempo

Naz Hillmon scored a team-high 24 points, Angel Reese and Jordin Canada had double-doubles and the visiting Atlanta Dream defeated the Toronto Tempo 111-92 on Friday night.

Reese finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for her 17th double-double of the season. Canada had 18 points and 13 assists, Allisha Gray also scored 18 and Rhyne Howard and Isobel Borase added 10 apiece for the Dream (15-10), who took control by outscoring the Tempo (10-15) by 10 in the third quarter.

Marina Mabrey scored 26 points, Nyara Sabally had 16 off the bench, Maria Conde had 13 and Isabelle Harrison added 10 for Toronto.

Howard made consecutive field goals and Reese added a steal and layup to start the third-quarter scoring and expand the Dream’s lead to 54-47. The Tempo made consecutive field goals, but Atlanta answered with seven straight for a 10-point lead.

Mabrey and Sabally each made a 3-pointer before the Dream extended the lead to 71-59. Toronto scored seven straight points to creep within five, but Atlanta scored the final six points to open a 77-66 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Tempo got within 82-76 with 7:30 remaining in the game, but the Dream quickly rebuilt the lead to 11 and maintained control.

Both teams shot poorly during the opening minutes before picking up the scoring pace later in the first quarter. Both sides went more than three minutes before making a field goal, but 3-pointers by Canada and Hillmon helped Atlanta open a 12-6 lead.

Mabrey scored seven points and Toronto took a 17-16 lead. The Dream scored six straight and the Tempo replied with six straight before Reese’s free throw produced a 23-all tie at the end of the first quarter.

The score was tied again before Sabally’s 3-pointer, a layup by Laura Juskaite and a three-point play by Conde gave Toronto a 33-27 lead. Atlanta got within three points three times, but consecutive baskets by Harrison and Juskaite pushed the Tempo’s lead to 41-34.

Toronto led by seven twice more, but Canada assisted on consecutive 3-pointers by Gray and on Reese’s layup to give the Dream a one-point lead. Harrison’s layup put the Tempo back on top briefly, but Gray answered with a layup that gave Atlanta a 48-47 halftime edge.

–Field Level Media