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Harding, Dream upset Fever in Game 1

Sep 29, 2012 - 1:50 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Lindsey Harding buried a crucial jumper late and the Atlanta Dream were able to hold off a fourth quarter rally to steal home court away from Indiana, defeating the Fever, 75-66, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Trailing by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter, the Fever cut Atlanta's lead to three following two Katie Douglas free throws, but Harding drained a 3-pointer of the following possession to put the game out of reach.

Harding finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and also dished out seven assists in the victory. Angel McCoughtry and Sancho Lyttle also made solid contributions, each scoring double-digits. McCoughtry finished with 16 and Lyttle poured in 12, while both players pulled down nine rebounds apiece.

The Fever, who lost at home for just the fifth time this season, were playing catch-up the whole game. They trailed after every quarter as Katie Douglas struggled to get into a rhythm. She shot just 4-of-12 from the field, but led Indiana with 13 points.

Tamika Catchings scored 10 for Indiana but shot a miserable 2-for-11. Briann January, Erin Phillips and Erlana Larkins also contributed double-digit scoring efforts in the loss.

Atlanta will host Game 2 on Sunday looking to close out the series. With a victory, the Fever will send the series back to Indiana for Game 3.