Shock winless streak extended

Atlanta, GA. - It was close until the end, but for the sixth time in a row the Tulsa Shock ended up falling short in their bid for their fourth win of the WNBA season. Second-year Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry scored a double-double, notching 29 points and 10 rebounds to propel the Dream (10-4) to a 96-90 win over the Shock (3-9) at Philips Arena. Scholonda Robinson led four double-digit scorers for the Shock with 17 points while Kara Braxton and Amber Holt added 15 and 14 points respectively. 

Tulsa played without the services of guard Shanna Crossley who was hospitalized Sunday for treatment of a staph infection. Crossley is expected to be out of the Shock lineup for eight to 10 days.

Atlanta jumped out to an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter before Tulsa made a charge to get back into the game. The Shock utilized a 16-3 run over the course of three minutes to pull back within four points with just over a minute remaining in the half. Holt led the charge for Tulsa, scoring six second quarter points that made the score 49-46 at the half.

Eight lead changes highlighted a back-and-forth third quarter that saw Tulsa connect on three three-pointers. Down by four, the Shock narrowed the deficit to two points twice within the final minute before the McCoughtry hit a jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining. Atlanta carried a 76-72 lead into the final quarter.

Tulsa tied the game at 86-86 on a Robinson basket with 3:14 remaining, but Atlanta went on a 10-4 run to close out the victory. Despite the loss, Tulsa had a productive game from behind the arc, hitting seven of 14 treys. "We never have stopped trying to play and thats the great part," said Shock head coach Nolan Richardson.

The Shock will now return home for a pair of games this weekend at the BOK Center. On Friday night they will face off with the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. before taking on the Seattle Storm on Sunday at 3 p.m. The team is offering up to four free tickets to Sunday's game for anyone willing to fill out a brief online survey.

Tickets for all future Shock games are on sale at the BOK Center box office, online, or by calling 599-WNBA.