2012 WNBA Playoffs: Atlanta knocks off Indiana, 75-66

Lindsey Harding had 23 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 75-66 win over the Indiana Fever on Friday. With the victory, the Dream took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three WNBA Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Angel McCoughtry scored 16 points and pulled down nine rebounds for Atlanta. Sancho Lyttle had 12 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists.

Tamika Catchings led the Fever with a double-double. Catchings scored 10 points and collected 11 rebounds. Earlier on Friday, she was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fifth time, a league record. McCoughtry finished second in the voting.

The Dream managed to win despite shooting 1 of 10 from 3-point range. Indiana wasn't much better, shooting 3 of 13. Atlanta shot 45 percent from the field, and the Fever shot at a 40-percent clip.

Indiana won three of the five regular-season meetings between the teams. Atlanta is looking to make a run to its third consecutive WNBA Finals.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Atlanta. The matchup will be televised by ESPN2.