Highlights:
San Antonio Stars coach Vickie Johnson knows her team will be making mistakes and a process will eventually sees those mistakes reduced to a minimum. However, a season still young is seeing its youngest team make those same mistakes – resulting in another loss.
Monique Currie scored 14 points off the bench as the Stars fell 77-70 to the Atlanta Dream in front of 3,813 fans inside the McCamish Pavilion on Wednesday morning.
Dearica Hamby added 13 and was the only other San Antonio player in double figures. Kayla Alexander added eight for the Stars, who are off to their worst start since 2015.
Kelsey Plum finished with six points off the bench in 12 minutes.
San Antonio led 39-36 at halftime, but Atlanta outscored the Stars 21-15 in the third quarter. The Stars missed nine free throws, making all of them would have resulted in a two-point win.
“It’s about staying focused for 40 minutes,” Johnson said. “The game is not three quarters, it’s 40 minutes. In the fourth quarter, you can’t have a mental lapse. You have to be sharp as a whole, as an individual and as a team.”
The Dream were led by Tiffany Hayes’ 16 points. Brie Holmes added 15 points and Sancho Little chipped in 14 for Atlanta (4-1), who outscored San Antonio 41-31 in the second half.
“We played against a team that was fighting real hard, trying not to stay undefeated,” Atlanta coach Michael Cooper said. “In those types of games, it’s not necessarily about what you do but who you are.”
Player of the Game: Tiffany Hayes is Stars Hoops Player of the Game. Her aggressive play after halftime and presence in the paint proved too much for Harrison and Hamby late in the game, swinging the game in Atlanta’s favor.
Up next: The Stars are now 0-6 on the season and will return to the court on Saturday against the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. to open a three-game home stand.
