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Castro Marques leads Dream

Jul 2, 2010 - 2:23 AM ATLANTA(AP) -- Iziane Castro Marques scored 22 points, Sancho Lyttle had 14 points and 10 rebounds and the Atlanta Dream held the Minnesota Lynx to 29.9-percent shooting in a 76-58 victory Thursday night.

It was the fourth straight win and seventh in nine games for the Eastern Conference-leading Dream (13-4). Erika DeSouza added 11 points, and Angel McCoughtry had 10 points for the Dream.

"It was about the first time in four games that our starters got serious on defense right from the start," Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors said.

Seimone Augustus led Minnesota (5-11) with 17 points.

"With Atlanta you've got to be able to score, and it was a really bad game for us to shoot 29 percent," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

Atlanta led by 16 points in the second quarter and took a 20-point lead into the final period. Minnesota made just 2 of 18 shots in the first quarter and shot 25 percent in the first half.

"It's about time," McCoughtry said. "It's hard playing catchup all the time."

Castro Marques hit three consecutive 3-point shots and had 11 points in the first half. The Dream were 9 of 17 from the field in the second quarter and had eight players score. Augustus led the Lynx with nine points in the first half.

"I was really worried about this game because I know how explosive Minnesota can be," Meadors said. "Seimone Augustus is probably one of the best basketball players and best shooters in the game. I thought our defensive effort at the start the game was huge. ... I want to complement our team for being ready."

It was the third game in five days for Atlanta, which is just past the middle of a six-game homestand. The Dream will play Chicago on Saturday and Connecticut on Wednesday before hitting the road for four games after the All-Star break.

The loss was the second straight for Minnesota since losing Candice Wiggins for the season with a ruptured left Achilles' tendon.