Comeback in fourth quarter leads Dream past Aces

An unexpected big win

The last time the Dream trailed entering the fourth quarter and pulled off a comeback was in May. It was the first game of the season, and the atmosphere around the team was very different than it is now.

Back then, hopes were high. Atlanta was coming off a 23-11 season and an appearance in the WNBA Semifinals. The comeback over the Wings to open the season felt like a continuation of the success from 2018. Then the losing started, and everything changed.

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But Thursday night, the Dream went into the fourth quarter trailing the visiting Las Vegas Aces by two points. It looked like just another Atlanta game — that is, a relatively even battle for the first three quarters, followed by the Dream’s opponent pulling away in the final ten minutes.

This time, though, Atlanta stayed in it. The Aces lead never grew larger than four points as the Dream battled for their eighth win of the season. Second-year center Marie Gülich put Atlanta ahead with just over five minutes left, and the Dream held on to win, 78-74.

“We got stops and we got defensive rebounds, so we didn’t give them a second chance,” Dream coach Nicki Collen told reporters following the game. ” …Just making big shots, big plays. (Monique Billings) struggled to put the ball in the basket all night long but made a layup late to extend the lead. We had a possession look a mess and (Alex) Bentley buries the deep three with the shot clock running down to create separation. Those are winning plays.”

And Atlanta didn’t just take down fourth-ranked Las Vegas. They did it without two veterans — guard Tiffany Hayes and forward Jessica Breland. Hayes is dealing with a left knee injury, and Breland was out with a stomach ailment.

In the absence of two key players, the Dream were forced to play with a shortened bench and lean heavily on younger members of the team. Second-year center Billings played 26 minutes and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Alaina Coates — also in her second year in the league — pulled down 10 boards in just six minutes. Five Atlanta players finished in double digits, and three of them have fewer than five years of experience in the WNBA.

“We needed something from everybody, and I think we got that,” Collen said.

Added Collen: “Not having (Hayes), not having Breland gives (Billings) more of a chance to play through mistakes, gives (Gülich) more of a chance to play through mistakes. Gave us a chance to leave (Coates) out there for extended minutes. There’s silver lining in a little bit of everything, and if you’re willing to find it, then you can do good things.”

At this point, with just one game left, the Dream has little — if anything — left to play for. It would be hard to fault the players if they were just looking to get to the finish line intact and head overseas healthy.

But Atlanta is still fighting. Collen knows that her team still is playing with a lot of pride — whether that’s for the name of the front of their jerseys or for the name on the back. Everyone wants to put in a good showing before the season ends, and maybe even build some momentum for when the team reconvenes next May.

“Obviously, we don’t have the chance to reach the playoffs anymore, but we’re going to finish the season right and try to do things right,” Gülich said. “Try to keep the momentum going, maybe, for next season.”

So for Collen, it’s the little things that are important when there isn’t really anything left to play for. Whether it’s fighting for loose balls or making clutch, late-game plays to seal a win, it’s evident that Atlanta isn’t ready to go quietly off into the night. With a young core of players — Billings, Williams, Sykes, Gülich, Coffey, Coates and Cazorla all have four or fewer years of experience — building for the future is important right now.

Sending a message that giving up isn’t an option for the Dream is important for that young group, and Collen is hoping it’ll pay dividends next season. Coming almost full circle with a second fourth-quarter comeback as the season fades out shows that as much as anything could.

“These guys have never quit,” Collen said. “We haven’t always performed the way we want to on the basketball court. … It’s absolutely disappointing to everybody that’s a part of this franchise, from our owners down, that we’re not talking about playoffs right now, because I think we went into this season talking about championships. Not just playoffs, but championships. But sometimes you just have to realize that there’s growth opportunity in these situations.”

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