Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko praised the Dallas Wings as well-coached and predicted a strong 2026 season after his team's 77-72 road win.
DALLAS — The Atlanta Dream outscored the Dallas Wings 19-13 in the fourth quarter to come back from a one-point deficit and win 77-72 in the Wings' home opener on Tuesday at College Park Center. Allisha Gray led the Dream with 26 points.
Jordin Canada scored 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for Atlanta. Angel Reese pulled down 16 rebounds, including 8 on the offensive glass, and added 12 points. Rhyne Howard finished with 14 points and 4 assists despite shooting 3-of-14 from the field, going 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Gray shot 9-of-20 from the field, made four three-pointers on nine attempts, and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. She added 4 rebounds in 33 minutes.
The Dream made 16 of their 17 free-throw attempts (94.1%) but shot 37.7% from the field and 27.3% from three-point range. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the season.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 points to lead Dallas. She went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line but missed all four of her three-point attempts. Paige Bueckers finished with 15 points and 3 assists on 5-of-12 shooting. Jessica Shepard added 12 points and 8 rebounds, one shy of a double-double.
Dallas shot 38.4% from the field but went just 4-of-26 (15.4%) from three-point range. The Wings got 16 points from their bench, including 6 each from Aziaha James and Awak Kuier. Dallas dropped to 1-1 on the season.
Dallas led 21-19 after the first quarter and 41-38 at halftime. The Wings held a 59-58 lead entering the fourth quarter. The teams traded 8 lead changes and were tied 9 times.
The Dream connected on 9 of 33 three-point attempts and won the rebounding battle 44-34, including a 16-12 edge in second-chance points.
Reese, who set a WNBA record in the season opener for the fastest player to reach 50 career double-doubles, recorded her second consecutive double-double to start the season. She grabbed 8 offensive rebounds.
The Dream were without forward Brionna Jones, who missed the game with a right knee injury.
The Wings ruled out rookie Azzi Fudd approximately two hours before tipoff with a right knee injury after she was originally listed as probable on the injury report.
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