Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Dream
Some nights, individual brilliance isn’t enough to overcome a slow start. That was the story Friday at CareFirst Arena, where Allisha Gray authored a milestone performance in a 79-74 loss to the Washington Mystics — a game the Dream spent the final 10 minutes clawing back into after digging themselves a hole they simply couldn’t fully escape.
Gray’s 26 points moved her into fourth place on the Dream’s all-time scoring list, pushing her career total with Atlanta to 2,635 points and vaulting her past Sancho Lyttle (2,630). Only Tiffany Hayes (3,828) and Angel McCoughtry (5,468) now sit ahead of her in franchise history — rarefied company for a player who has quietly become one of the most reliable scorers to ever wear a Dream jersey.
But milestones don’t show up in the win column, and Atlanta (19-12) dropped its second game in three outings, undone by a first half that never got going.
A Cold Start Buries the Dream
The Dream shot just 26.2% in the first half while Washington scorched the nets at 51.6%, allowing the Mystics to build a 12-point cushion before intermission. It was a hole Atlanta never fully climbed out of, and the shooting struggles persisted throughout the night — the Dream finished at 32.5% from the field, their worst mark of the season.
Washington’s depth compounded the problem. The Mystics’ bench outscored Atlanta’s reserves 29-8, a gap that proved difficult to overcome even as the starters battled.
Gray and Rhyne Howard were the only Dream players to reach double figures beyond single digits, with Howard closely trailing Gray at 19 points. Beyond that duo, scoring was hard to come by — no other Dream player finished with more than nine.
The Fourth-Quarter Rally
Down 16 to open the final period, Atlanta refused to fold quietly. Howard sparked the surge with a pair of long 3-pointers — one from 30 feet, another from 32 — that trimmed Washington’s lead to seven and forced a Mystics timeout with 5:52 remaining.
The Dream kept chipping away. Howard split time at the line to make it 74-66. Jordin Canada added a free throw to cut it to 74-67. Bri Jones scored on a layup to make it 74-69. And with 32 seconds left, Gray drove for a layup that pulled Atlanta within three, 77-74, giving CareFirst Arena a nervous final stretch.
Washington had an answer, though. Shakira Austin closed the door with a layup that pushed the lead back to five with nine seconds to go, and the Mystics held on for the win.
Looking Ahead
The loss stings, but there’s little time to dwell on it. The Dream return home Monday to host Toronto at Gateway Center Arena, tipping off at 8 p.m. ET. Atlanta will look to shake off its shooting woes and get back in the win column in front of the home crowd — with Gray, fresh off her milestone night, looking to keep climbing the franchise’s record books.
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