Rookie Rhyne Howard scored 21 points, including five of Atlanta’s 13 3-pointers, and the Dream held off the Los Angeles Sparks 77-75 on Wednesday night.
Howard made a 3-pointer in the corner with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter for a seven-point lead, but Atlanta did not score again. The No. 1 pick in the draft was called for a charge with 16.3 seconds left for Atlanta’s third straight possession with a turnover.
After a timeout, Los Angeles had two chances in the closing seconds, but Chiney Ogwumike missed a contested layup in the paint and Nneka Ogwumike was off on a jumper at the buzzer.
Howard also grabbed eight rebounds. Megan Walker added 11 points, and Kristy Wallace and Cheyenne Parker each had 10 points for Atlanta (2-0).
Jordin Canada scored 19 points for Los Angeles (2-1).
SKY 83, LIBERTY 50
CHICAGO (AP) — Dana Evans scored 15 points, Rebekah Gardner added 14 and the Sky cruised past Liberty.
Chicago led 36-17 at halftime after holding New York to 20% shooting, including 1 of 12 from 3-point range. It was the lowest point total in a half since Connecticut had 15 on Sept. 1, 2015.
The Sky opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 28-point lead at 49-21, and New York reached 50 points on Jocelyn Willoughby’s layup with 20.2 seconds left in the fourth.
Candace Parker added 11 points and Emma Meesseman scored 10 for Chicago (1-1). Parker and Meesseman each had six rebounds and four assists.
Han Xu, the tallest player in the WNBA at 6-foot-10, scored 10 points for New York (1-1).
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