Final - OT
Dream-Mystics Preview
Jun 5, 2010 - 4:12 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS WriterAtlanta (6-1) at Washington (4-3), 7:00 p.m. EDT
The first month of this season couldn't have gone much better for the Atlanta Dream.
The second has proved a little more difficult, and a trip to face a revived Washington Mystics team might not make things any easier.
To avoid a third consecutive loss, the Dream will have to earn their first road win over the Mystics on Saturday night.
Atlanta (6-2) was the WNBA's last undefeated team until a 90-72 loss Tuesday night in Seattle, and an 80-70 home defeat to Chicago followed Friday night.
Poor starts and leading scorer Angel McCoughtry's recent struggles haven't help the Eastern Conference leaders in those games.
Atlanta missed 18 of 22 shots while falling behind 17-9 after one quarter against Seattle. The Dream committed eight of its 23 turnovers in the first period Friday and couldn't overcome an early 22-16 deficit.
"We're a little disjointed right now for some reason," coach Marynell Meadors said.
McCoughtry, who averaged a league-best 24.0 points in the first six wins, has made 10 of 34 attempts (29.4 percent) in the two losses. While missing seven of 10 shots against the Sky, the second-year forward was benched for part of the game.
"I just felt she just wasn't giving the effort that we needed," Meadors said of McCoughtry, who barely extended her double-digit scoring streak to 12 games with a late layup.
Erika de Souza missed all six of her shots and was held scoreless. She has scored a combined two points in the consecutive defeats after averaging 13.6 points during the win streak.
It won't get any easier on the Dream against the Mystics, who seemed to regain their defensive intensity despite being shorthanded in their return home Sunday. Washington allowed 67.3 points while opening the season 3-0 but gave up at least 80 in each of its three consecutive defeats.
The Mystics (4-3) snapped that slide by limiting Connecticut to 38.8 percent shooting and a 4-of-17 performance from 3-point range in a 69-65 win Sunday. That performance came with Katie Smith out due to back spasms and Lindsey Harding suffering a bruised shoulder in the third quarter.
In her team's second home game of the season, Crystal Langhorne made up for those absences with 17 points and a career high-tying 16 rebounds. Monique Currie had a team-best 18 points.
"There really was a lot going against us," Langhorne said after her third double-double of the season. "I think it was a really good win for us, just for that reason."
Washington won twice at the Verizon Center against Atlanta last season but dropped both road contests. The Mystics took a pair of home wins over the Dream in the first two months of their inaugural 2008 campaign en route to a season sweep.
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