Tulsa Shock beat Atlanta Dream 84-80; End a 13 game away losing streak ... - bettor.com (blog)

Tulsa Shock beat Atlanta Dream 84-80; End a 13 game away losing streak â€" WNBA Recap

Despite trailing by 9 points in the first quarter, Tulsa Shock led by a 20 point effort from Roneeka Hodges, were able to defeat Atlanta Dream 84-80 to end their 13 game away losing streak.

The key to winning the game was Shock’s ability to close out the game â€" something which they have not been able to do previously. Their effort left coach Gary Kloppenburg very pleased ;

“That was our first road win, so we're really excited about that,'' Kloppenburg said. ``I thought we executed down the stretch to win. We've had trouble finishing games.''

Temeka Johnson also had a good game as she contributed 17 points while Ivory Latta came off the bench to chip in 14 points. Glory Johnson was another Tulsa player scoring in double figures with 10 points.

Atlanta had to play without the services of WNBA’s leading scorer Angel McCoughtry who was suspended for the game. However, Atlanta did manage to have six players scoring in double figures on the night.

Erika de Souza led the way with 16 points while Sancho Lyttle and Armintie Price scored 14 and 13 points respectively. Cathrine Kraayeveld chipped in with 11 points while Tiffany Hayes and Lindsey Harding contributed 10 points each.

Atlanta got off to a good start to the game and held a 7-2 lead early. However a 7-2 response from Tulsa saw the scores level up at 9 apiece. The game remained close for the next few minutes of the opening stanza but Atlanta being the more persistent side made their way to a 7 point lead deep and a strong 6-2 run to close out the period saw them take a 29-20 lead.

With the momentum on their side, Atlanta went on to establish a 17 point advantage with just about 4 minutes remaining in the first half. However, Tulsa responded back strongly to close out the second stanza with a 9-2 run and trailed by only 6 at the interval.

The third quarter belonged to the away team completely. Tulsa outscored Atlanta 23-11 in the period and capped the stanza with a 9-0 run to take a 5 point lead. The fourth quarters have been nothing but trouble for Shock all season long, especially in the away games and the nerves were evident again. From the 4:48 mark in the fourth till 2:31 remaining, Tulsa saw their 9 point advantage cut down to 2.

However, Atlanta were unable to keep their charge going as they were outscored 3-5 in the final seconds.