The Atlanta Dream couldn't find enough defensive stops in Phoenix as they dropped the first game of their Western road trip by a score of 109-95. The Dream put up some good offensive numbers themselves but couldn't overcome a 51 percent shooting night from the Mercury who also made a ridiculous 27 of 28 attempts from the free throw line.
Atlanta fell behind 30-20 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 50-29 mid way through the second before a 17-5 Atlanta run pulled the Dream to within 59-48 at the break. However, Atlanta couldn't find enough defensive stops in the second half to further close the gap.
Angel McCoughtry finished with 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists going 6 for 16 from the field and 12 of 15 from the charity stripe. Erika de Souza finished with 19 points and seven rebounds while Castro Marques and Coco Miller netted 11 and 12 points respectively. Atlanta's Lindsey Harding came off the bench for the first time this season finishing with seven points and three assists in 23 minutes of action.
DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury with 25 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Candice Dupree finished with 22 points and Diana Taurasi had 21 points and five assists. Penny Taylor netted 19 points and a game high six assists for Phoenix who ran a clinic offensively.
The loss drops Atlanta to 10-12 on the season and just a half game ahead of Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Dream's western swing continues on Saturday with a visit to Seattle to take on the Storm.