Dream erase halftime deficit, ride Howard’s 26 to 92-77 win over Mystics

Washington controlled the glass early, but not the finish

The Mystics looked comfortable for much of the first half. They moved in front 14-5 in the opening quarter, carried a 26-21 lead into the second and kept Atlanta from making up ground before the break. The second quarter finished 15-15, which left Washington ahead 41-36 and seemingly in position to turn its rebounding edge into a road win.

Washington’s frontcourt gave it every chance to do that. Shakira Austin finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds, Kiki Iriafen added 15 points and 14 boards, and the Mystics owned the overall rebound count 50-31, including 15 offensive rebounds. Sonia Citron supplied the perimeter scoring and then some, pouring in 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting. On a night like that, most teams expect to be talking about control. Washington instead spent the second half trying to recover from lost possessions.

A seven-point burst started it, then Atlanta broke the tie for good

The turn began immediately after halftime. Naz Hillmon opened the third quarter with a layup, Howard followed with two free throws, and Allisha Gray buried a step-back three at 8:28 to put Atlanta up 43-41. It was a fast answer to Washington’s strong first half, and it changed the direction of the game even though the Mystics still had two more chances to reset it. Citron tied the score at 43 on free throws, then again at 45 with a layup at 6:36.

That second tie did not last. DeWanna Bonner hit two free throws 22 seconds later, then drilled a three from the left wing at 5:40. Howard kept the run moving at the line, Bonner added back-to-back layups, Gray scored at the rim, and Angel Reese converted inside and finished the extra free throw. By the time that stretch ended, Atlanta had turned a 45-45 deadlock into a 61-48 advantage.

The quarter belonged to the Dream in every important way. Atlanta outscored Washington 29-12 in the period, and the numbers behind it were just as sharp as the scoreboard. Jordin Canada kept the offence organized, Bonner supplied timely scoring, and Atlanta’s ball activity kept feeding extra chances. Washington still found points from Citron and Iriafen, but the Mystics were no longer dictating the game.

Howard and Canada made sure the comeback held

Atlanta did not leave the door open for long in the fourth. Madina Okot scored first in the period, and Howard stretched the margin to 70-53 with a three at 8:56. That 17-point gap became the clearest sign yet that the Dream had moved beyond a rally and into control. Howard kept adding to it, scoring on a drive at 8:01 and then on a two-point basket plus the free throw at 6:49.

Washington’s last serious push came from the players who had carried it all night. Citron scored repeatedly in the middle of the quarter, Cotie McMahon completed a three-point play, and Iriafen put in consecutive baskets before Citron’s free throws cut the margin to 81-74 with 3:26 left. Atlanta answered cleanly. Gray converted a three-point play at 2:41, Bonner made two free throws 12 seconds later, and Canada added two more from the line to restore a double-digit cushion. The final possessions only confirmed what the third quarter had already established.

Howard finished with 26 points, 10-for-10 shooting at the line and five steals. Gray added 22 points, Canada paired 10 points with 11 assists, Reese posted 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Bonner supplied 13 more off the bench. Atlanta did not shoot especially well from deep, going 5-for-21 from three, but it compensated with 25-for-26 free-throw shooting and 50 points in the paint.

Our take: the turnover line explained almost everything

Washington can point to several things it did well. The Mystics won the rebounding battle by 19, got double-doubles from Austin and Iriafen, and had the game in hand for much of the first half. But those advantages were overwhelmed by 23 total turnovers. Atlanta turned them into 27 points, while Washington managed only four points off the Dream’s seven turnovers. That is too large a gap to survive, especially on the road.

For Atlanta, this was an encouragingly practical win. The Dream did not need a hot three-point night to take over; they were steadier with the ball, nearly automatic at the foul line and consistently able to turn Washington’s mistakes into scoring chances. If there is one caution inside a 15-point victory, it is the rebound column. Giving up 50 boards will test any team on another night. On Sunday, though, Atlanta’s efficiency in the details that decide possessions mattered far more than the misses from outside.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 9:38

   Rhyne Howard makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jordin Canada assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 9:24

   Shakira Austin makes free throw 1 of 2

3. 1st Quarter · 9:05

   Kiki Iriafen makes layup (Georgia Amoore assists)

4. 1st Quarter · 8:19

   Georgia Amoore makes 26-foot three point jumper (Sonia Citron assists)

5. 1st Quarter · 7:48

   Kiki Iriafen makes 14-foot step back jumpshot

6. 1st Quarter · 6:58

   Allisha Gray makes free throw 1 of 2

7. 1st Quarter · 6:58

   Allisha Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

8. 1st Quarter · 6:02

   Sonia Citron makes 25-foot three pointer

9. 1st Quarter · 5:21

   Michaela Onyenwere makes 24-foot three point jumper (Sonia Citron assists)

10. 1st Quarter · 5:10

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

11. 1st Quarter · 5:10

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

12. 1st Quarter · 4:11

    Allisha Gray makes 8-foot turnaround jump shot

13. 1st Quarter · 3:56

    Michaela Onyenwere makes driving layup (Shakira Austin assists)

14. 1st Quarter · 3:45

    Allisha Gray makes driving layup

15. 1st Quarter · 3:17

    Rhyne Howard makes 13-foot pullup jump shot (Jordin Canada assists)

16. 1st Quarter · 3:17

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 1

17. 1st Quarter · 2:59

    Lauren Betts makes 3-foot turnaround jump shot (Cotie McMahon assists)

18. 1st Quarter · 2:09

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

19. 1st Quarter · 1:22

    Sonia Citron makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot

20. 1st Quarter · 1:10

    Jordin Canada makes driving layup

21. 1st Quarter · 1:00

    Georgia Amoore makes 24-foot three point jumper (Betnijah Laney-Hamilton assists)

22. 1st Quarter · 49.0

    Allisha Gray makes 5-foot two point shot (Jordin Canada assists)

23. 1st Quarter · 33.4

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 1 of 2

24. 1st Quarter · 33.4

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 2 of 2

25. 1st Quarter · 23.3

    Rhyne Howard makes 8-foot pullup jump shot

26. 2nd Quarter · 9:52

    Shakira Austin makes free throw 1 of 2

27. 2nd Quarter · 9:52

    Shakira Austin makes free throw 2 of 2

28. 2nd Quarter · 9:23

    Shakira Austin makes driving layup (Cotie McMahon assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 8:58

    Shakira Austin makes 4-foot two point shot (Cotie McMahon assists)

30. 2nd Quarter · 8:49

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 1 of 2

31. 2nd Quarter · 8:49

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

32. 2nd Quarter · 8:11

    Jordin Canada makes 18-foot pullup jump shot

33. 2nd Quarter · 7:11

    Michaela Onyenwere makes 1-foot layup (Shakira Austin assists)

34. 2nd Quarter · 6:51

    Angel Reese makes 25-foot three point jumper

35. 2nd Quarter · 6:07

    Shakira Austin makes running layup

36. 2nd Quarter · 4:55

    Madina Okot makes layup (Jordin Canada assists)

37. 2nd Quarter · 4:02

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

38. 2nd Quarter · 4:02

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

39. 2nd Quarter · 3:37

    Jordin Canada makes running layup

40. 2nd Quarter · 2:16

    Betnijah Laney-Hamilton makes 24-foot three point jumper (Lauren Betts assists)

41. 2nd Quarter · 1:45

    Georgia Amoore makes driving layup

42. 2nd Quarter · 1:37

    Jordin Canada makes 3-foot driving floating jump shot

43. 3rd Quarter · 9:41

    Naz Hillmon makes running layup (Rhyne Howard assists)

44. 3rd Quarter · 8:58

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

45. 3rd Quarter · 8:58

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

46. 3rd Quarter · 8:28

    Allisha Gray makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot

47. 3rd Quarter · 8:13

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 1 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 8:13

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 2 of 2

49. 3rd Quarter · 6:54

    DeWanna Bonner makes layup (Naz Hillmon assists)

50. 3rd Quarter · 6:36

    Sonia Citron makes 2-foot layup (Georgia Amoore assists)

51. 3rd Quarter · 6:14

    DeWanna Bonner makes free throw 1 of 2

52. 3rd Quarter · 6:14

    DeWanna Bonner makes free throw 2 of 2

53. 3rd Quarter · 5:40

    DeWanna Bonner makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jordin Canada assists)

54. 3rd Quarter · 4:44

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

55. 3rd Quarter · 4:44

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

56. 3rd Quarter · 3:58

    Shakira Austin makes free throw 2 of 2

57. 3rd Quarter · 3:40

    DeWanna Bonner makes driving layup

58. 3rd Quarter · 3:34

    Cotie McMahon makes free throw 1 of 2

59. 3rd Quarter · 3:33

    Kiki Iriafen makes free throw 1 of 2

60. 3rd Quarter · 3:18

    DeWanna Bonner makes driving layup (Jordin Canada assists)

61. 3rd Quarter · 2:53

    Allisha Gray makes 1-foot layup (Jordin Canada assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 2:29

    Angel Reese makes 1-foot layup (DeWanna Bonner assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 2:29

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 1

64. 3rd Quarter · 2:08

    Kiki Iriafen makes driving layup (Georgia Amoore assists)

65. 3rd Quarter · 1:55

    Allisha Gray makes 12-foot pullup jump shot

66. 3rd Quarter · 1:32

    Sonia Citron makes two point shot

67. 3rd Quarter · 1:01

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 1 of 2

68. 3rd Quarter · 45.3

    Angel Reese makes two point shot

69. 4th Quarter · 9:44

    Madina Okot makes driving layup (Angel Reese assists)

70. 4th Quarter · 8:56

    Rhyne Howard makes 25-foot three pointer (Jordin Canada assists)

71. 4th Quarter · 8:39

    Shakira Austin makes 8-foot step back jumpshot

72. 4th Quarter · 8:33

    Angel Reese makes 2-foot layup (Jordin Canada assists)

73. 4th Quarter · 8:18

    Kiki Iriafen makes two point shot

74. 4th Quarter · 8:01

    Rhyne Howard makes driving layup

75. 4th Quarter · 7:20

    Sonia Citron makes 6-foot two point shot

76. 4th Quarter · 7:00

    Sonia Citron makes two point shot

77. 4th Quarter · 6:49

    Rhyne Howard makes two point shot

78. 4th Quarter · 6:49

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 1

79. 4th Quarter · 6:22

    Kiki Iriafen makes 4-foot two point shot

80. 4th Quarter · 6:03

    Allisha Gray makes 13-foot pullup jump shot (DeWanna Bonner assists)

81. 4th Quarter · 5:48

    Sonia Citron makes 11-foot fade away jump shot

82. 4th Quarter · 5:34

    Rhyne Howard makes 11-foot fade away jump shot

83. 4th Quarter · 5:21

    Cotie McMahon makes driving layup (Sonia Citron assists)

84. 4th Quarter · 5:21

    Cotie McMahon makes free throw 1 of 1

85. 4th Quarter · 4:54

    Kiki Iriafen makes two point shot

86. 4th Quarter · 3:54

    Kiki Iriafen makes two point shot

87. 4th Quarter · 3:26

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 1 of 2

88. 4th Quarter · 3:26

    Sonia Citron makes free throw 2 of 2

89. 4th Quarter · 2:41

    Allisha Gray makes driving layup

90. 4th Quarter · 2:41

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 1 of 1

91. 4th Quarter · 2:29

    DeWanna Bonner makes free throw 1 of 2

92. 4th Quarter · 2:29

    DeWanna Bonner makes free throw 2 of 2

93. 4th Quarter · 1:42

    Michaela Onyenwere makes free throw 2 of 2

94. 4th Quarter · 1:25

    Jordin Canada makes free throw 1 of 2

95. 4th Quarter · 1:25

    Jordin Canada makes free throw 2 of 2

96. 4th Quarter · 1:17

    Sonia Citron makes driving layup

97. 4th Quarter · 1:04

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

98. 4th Quarter · 1:04

    Angel Reese makes free throw 2 of 2

99. 4th Quarter · 22.2

    Naz Hillmon makes 3-foot layup (Jordin Canada assists)