The Atlanta Dream improved their record to 4-2 behind a tough-as-nails win over the Las Vegas Aces, 78-74.
For A’ja Wilson, Atlanta is more than just a game location – it’s a southern homecoming. “It’s always great to see the greatness that A’ja is,” Gamecocks alumna Laeticia Amihere said pregame. “She puts in the work…obviously, we’re playing against her today, but South Carolina for life.”
The stands are a battleground of Wilson’s fans, Aces supporters, and South Carolina natives. The crowd’s roar is constant, a mix of anticipation and tension, only broken by the in-game announcer rallying the Dream fans or when an Aces player scores. The message is clear — if Atlanta wants to secure a victory, they must rely on their own efforts. The Aces (and their fans) serve as a constant, boisterous reminder of the team’s proximity to championship status.
True to form, after a scorching 7-0 run by Atlanta, the Aces start to dominate the court. Whether it’s Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, or A’ja Wilson, the Aces are everywhere. It becomes clear that the Dream need to step up their game to match the intensity of Vegas, despite holding them to just 11 points (their lowest of the season) in the first quarter.
Like a sudden surge of energy, Crystal Dangerfield leaps off the bench, fully charged, and nails three gritty shots. But, the Aces’ lead balloons to 7 by mid-third quarter, and A’ja Wilson was up to a balmy 19 points.
Eventually, the lead is 12 points, and that all too familiar feeling of last August’s A’ja Wilson avalanche is suddenly too close for comfort. But the Dream decided right then and there – they wouldn’t stop fighting. This was the moment when the game took a dramatic turn.
Hello, little lightning bolt. Aerial Powers cut into the tension with electricity. A swipe and score and a jump ball with A’ja Wilson are enough to ignite the crowd and Atlanta.
“[Aerial Powers] is high energy,” head coach Tanisha Wright said.” “We know that. We knew that getting in, and we thought today, she really came out…[and] changed the momentum of the game with that energy.”
Fans are absolutely losing it when Allisha Gray nails a three. (She had a career-high SIX 3-pointers) Then, another three magically falls to extend Atlanta’s lead.
The two teams traded what felt like hundreds of buckets into the waning minutes of the fourth quarter until something just clicked for Atlanta.
Maybe it was Aerial’s Powers’ energy. She’s never lacked confidence, and she wasn’t about to start now, especially with a chance to beat the defending champions within reach.
Shots were falling, and the team got to the line so many times that I stopped counting. (They made 26/29 free throws.) Eventually, it was enough to snag a magnificent 78-74 win.
“Great defensive effort by this team”, Wright said after. “We challenged them big time to start defending at a higher level, and I thought we did a really good job of executing on the defensive game-plan.”
Atlanta grew up Friday. Holding the Aces to 36.2 percent shooting is super impressive. (They also forced Las Vegas to cough up the ball 12 times and scored 14 points from that defensive pressure.)
Something that wont be talked about enough is that every player who was on the court contributed: points, rebounds, assists, etc.
That’s probably the most complete team win I’ve witnessed in the Tanisha Wright era. The Aces weren’t at full strength without Chelsea Gray, but the Aces are still the Aces. That makes the win all that more impressive, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus grateful for the victory.
“I was really thankful that we got that dub, because it just shows us that like the sky’s the limit for this team,” Parker-Tyus said reflectively postgame. “Like, we’re just really scratching the surface.”
They’ll need the entire team to do it again when Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner and the Connecticut Sun come to Gateway Center Arena on Sunday.
Hall About Sports 