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De Souza leads Dream past Monarchs

Sep 5, 2009 - 5:05 AM SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) -- Erika de Souza had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Angel McCoughly added 26 points and 10 assists in the Atlanta Dream's 98-90 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Friday night.

Iziane Castro Marques had 16 points and six assists for Atlanta (17-14), and Sancho Lyttle scored 15 points. The Dream, 4-30 last year in their first season in the WNBA, will finish their five-game trip Saturday night in Phoenix.

Nicole Powell scored 23 points for the Monarchs (11-21). DeMya Walker added 19 points, and Rebekkah Brunson had 13.

The Dream, 1 1/2 games ahead of third-place Chicago in the Eastern Division playoff race, shot 64 percent from the field and had 31 assists. The are 10-4 in their last 14 games.

"We're alive this year after struggling last year and losing a lot of close games," coach Marynell Meaders said. "This year we have a lot of depth and balance and it showed tonight. We're a solid team this year that has persevered."

Shalee Lehning made a basket off an inbounds play with the shot clock running down, sparking a 6-0 run that gave Atlanta a 96-86 lead.

"They have a lot of weapons, obviously they're a good team," Powell said. "They have a strong inside and outside game. And give them credit, they made a lot of tough shots down the stretch."

McCoughtry, the heralded No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, came up big in the fourth quarter. She made all four shots and scored nine points for Atlanta, which made 10 of 14 attempts in the fourth to pull away.

"I was a little bit in the zone tonight," said McCoughtry, who has started the last six games after Chamique Holdsclaw had arthroscopic knee surgery. "I'm having fun as a starter, I'm just doing my best to fill Chamique's shoes.Any given game someone on this team will be hot, we just have so many weapons."