by Ndnsports staff
(Atlanta) – Courtney Vandersloot made a tiebreaking jumper from the top of the key with 20 seconds left the Sky to an 80-77 win over the Dream in the first game of their WNBA playoff series.
The game’s decisive shot came after officials reviewed a loose ball scramble under Atlanta’s basket and then called for a jump ball that Chicago center Syliva Fowles won over Atlanta center Erika de Souza with 42 seconds left. The game was tied 77-77 at the time.
Shoni Schimmel finished the game with 8 points but had a team high 6 assists in nearly 19 minutes of play. The Dream will now travel to Chicago on Sunday to play game 2 of the three game series. Atlanta is 0-2 this season in Chicago. If necessary, a Game 3 will be played on Tuesday back home in Atlanta.
“The pressure switches to them more than us because they will try to close us out on Sunday,” Head Coach Michael Cooper said.
Atlanta forward Angel McCoughtry had a game-high 24 points and outscored Chicago 9-2 to give the Dream a 77-75 lead with 1:40 left.
