Atlanta entered the fourth quarter with a healthy five point lead before being outscored 32-21 in the fourth to fall 101-95. The Dream are now down 0-2 to the Lynx in the best-of-five-series.
When looking back on this game, Atlanta will point to a couple of things. First, Atlanta was only 21-32 from the free throw line in the game. Second, Atlanta's offense once again broke down in the fourth quarter as Minnesota tightened the screws. After a splendid first half, Angel McCoughtry and company tried to force things off the dribble and the Lynx are much too good defensively for that to be successful for long. Atlanta's five second half assists well illustrates the lack of any cohesion on offense. Atlanta may also choose to look at the 33 personal fouls that were called against them that led to 46 free throw attempts by the Lynx.
Angel McCoughtry broke her own WNBA Finals record for points in a game with 38. Her 10 for 22 shooting though pales in comparison to her 8 for 9 first half. Lindsey Harding finished with 16 points and seven assists. Iziane Castro Marques came off the bench to score 14 and Sancho Lyttle netted 13 before fouling out. Erika de Souza returned to the lineup and finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
Seimone Augustus led the way for the Lynx with 36 points on a very efficient 11 for 14 shooting. Augustus was 13 for 16 from the free throw line where she successfully closed this game out in the fourth quarter. Jessica Adair and Lindsay Whalen each finished with 13 points.
Atlanta had a slight edge in rebounding (31-30) and in turnovers (7-12) but couldn't overcome the free throw disparity. Minnesota finished 38-46 from the free throw line, outscoring the Dream by 17 points.
The series shifts to Atlanta on Friday where the Dream will try and stave off elimination at Philips Arena.
For more on the WNBA Finals, the Atlanta Dream and the Minnesota Lynx, be sure and check out SB Nation's Women's Hoops blog Swish Appeal.