Angel Reese scored 19 of her game-high 30 points in the first half to help the Atlanta Dream earn a 103-59 victory over the visiting Connecticut Sun in College Park, Ga., on Thursday.
Reese also had 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Rhyne Howard added 10 points, eight assists and four steals for Atlanta (27-14), which has won six of its last seven games. Allisha Gray had 10 points and six rebounds and Madina Okot and Te-Hina Paopao both finished with 10 points for the Dream, who held Connecticut to 24 second-half points.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa led the Sun (10-31) with 13 points, followed by Saniya Rivers, Raegan Beers and Ashlon Jackson, who each scored nine points. Connecticut made just 3 of 20 of its 3-point attempts in its fourth straight loss.
Atlanta extended its 10-point halftime lead to 50-35 as Gray’s layup forced a Connecticut timeout with 8:27 left in the third.
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored the Sun’s first second-half points to cut the deficit to 52-37, but Reese began a 6-0 run with a hook shot.
The margin ballooned to 25 after baskets by reserves Isobel Borlase and Okot.
Aaliyah Edwards hit a mid-range jumper to briefly stop the bleeding before Naz Hillmon drilled a 3-pointer and Paopao and Okot had layups to give the Dream an overwhelming 76-46 lead after three quarters.
Atlanta outscored the Sun 27-13 in the fourth quarter en route to its largest margin of victory this season.
Atlanta led 22-17 after the first quarter before opening up its first double-digit lead on Reese’s layup with 6:20 left in the second.
A minute later, Reese scored five straight points to extend the lead to 39-25. Jackson stopped the run with a 3-pointer before Reese made two more layups to give the Dream a 43-28 edge.
Okot and Nell Angloma traded layups to end the first half as Atlanta took a 45-35 lead into halftime.
–Field Level Media
