Iziane Castro Marques was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time during the 2011 playoffs and responded with a playoff career-high 30 points while helping lead the Atlanta Dream to a 94-77 victory over the Indiana Fever. The win evens the best-of-three series between the two games at one game apiece with the deciding game coming on Tuesday in Indiana.
Atlanta coach Marynell Meadors decision to go with a small lineup sparked her club as the move helped to ignite the Dream fast break where Atlanta held a 25-11 advantage for the game. Atlanta also turned up the pressure defensively which resulted in 19 turnovers for the Fever. Angel McCoughtry set the tone early scoring 20 of her 27 points in the first half while Castro Marques poured it on during the second half. Sancho Lyttle, Lindsey Harding, and Armintie Price all finished in double figures with 10 points for the Dream.
Katie Douglas scored a team high 25 points for Indiana going 5 for 6 from three point range. Jessica Davenport finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while Tammy Sutton-Brown tossed in 11. Tamika Catchings finished with eight points and nine rebounds but was just 2 for 10 from the field.
Atlanta overcame the loss of center Erika De Souza who left the team to be part of the Brazilian National team's Olympic qualifying effort at the FIBA Americas tournament for Women. De Souza will miss the remainder of the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana could be without one of its biggest contributors on Tuesday night as WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings went down with a foot injury during the second half. Indiana coach Lin Dunn commented after the game that the injury wasn't thought to be an Achilles injury but wasn't sure the extent or whether or not Catchings would be able to play on Tuesday.