Atlanta shocks Tulsa, 105-89

The Atlanta Dream took charge early then held off a fourth quarter charge from the Tulsa Shock (4-20) to cruise to a 105-89 win in front of 3,800 fans Tuesday afternoon at the BOK Center. The loss marks the sixth time this season that an opponent has scored over 100 points against the Shock.

Iziane Castro-Marques led Atlanta with 23 points while teammate Sancho Lyttle added 20 points, 14 rebounds and four steals as the Dream defeated the Shock for the second time this season to improve their record to 16-9 on the season. Ivory Latta had 23 points on the day, marking a season high for any Shock player this season.

Rebounding was once again a factor in the outcome of the game as Atlanta pulled down 44 boards to Tulsa's 30. Tulsa got off to a slow start, turning the ball over seven times in the opening frame as Atlanta jumped out to a 30-16 lead at the first break.

Castro-Marques was four-of-six from the field in the opening quarter, collecting eight points to lead all scorers. Nicole Ohlde led the Shock with four points in her debut in Tulsa. Atlanta was 13-of-23 from the field while Tulsa connected on 7-of-19. The Dream controlled the boards early on, out-rebounding the Shock 16-5 and outscoring them in second chance points 10-0.

Angel McCoughtry struck first for the Dream, dropping a trey just 20 seconds into the game after a Shock turnover. Scholanda Robinson made sure her team kept pace, draining a three-pointer of her own at the other end of the court to tie the game. From there the two squads traded baskets in a fast-paced race before Atlanta pulled ahead by 10 on an Alison Bales jumper with just over a minute remaining. 

The Dream kept up their furious pace in the second quarter, outscoring the Shock 29-18 to take a 59-34 lead into halftime. Atlanta opened the second with a 9-0 run before a Latta jump shot finally got Tulsa on the board 3:34 into the quarter. Latta accounted for nine of Tulsa's 18 second-quarter points, including an off-balance jump shot with 1.7 seconds left to cut Atlanta's lead to 25 at the half.

A scary moment occurred 2:24 into the period when Atlanta's Armintie Price, while driving to the basket from the base line was fouled hard by Tulsa's Amber Holt who would be whistled for a flagrant foul. Price hit one of two free throws before being removed from the game to seek medical attention. She later returned to action after being checked out.

The Dream maintained their 25 point lead at the end of the third quarter before the Shock attempted to make things interesting in the fourth quarter. Tulsa opened the final quarter with a 9-3 run as Atlanta missed their first eight shots from the field, hitting their first field goal with 6:10 remaining on a Price layup. The Shock went on to outscore the Dream 28-19, but finished off cold, missing their final seven shots from the field.

The Shock will tip-off with the San Antonio Silver Stars at 7 p.m. Friday at the BOK Center. Tickets are available at the BOK Center box office, online, or by calling 599-WNBA.

        1 

        2 

        3 

        4 

        F 

Atlanta  

        30 

        29 

        27 

        19 

        105 

Tulsa 

        16 

        18 

        27 

        28 

        89 

Attendance: 3,800. Officials: Eric Brewton, Sue Blanch, Felicia Grinter. Time of game: 2:05.

Atlanta (40/77, 51.9%) - Castro-Marques 23, Lyttle 20, Leuchanka 12, McCoughtry 11, Lehning 9, Bales 8, Price 8, C. Miller 5, DeSouza 4, K. Miller 3, Raven 2.

Tulsa (32/74, 43.2%) - Latta 23, Crossley 15, Ohlde 14, Robinson 13, Black 7, Lacy 7, Holt 4, Jackson 4, Jones 2.