COLLEGE PARK, Ga. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard scored 20 points apiece to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 80-68 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round playoff series.
Naz Hillmon, who was the AP Sixth Person of the Year, added 16 points and nine rebounds for the third-seeded Dream. Atlanta can advance to the semifinals with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Brionna Jones made a tiebreaking layup and Gray hit a pull-up jumper before Howard hit a 3-pointer that gave Atlanta a 47-40 lead almost four minutes into the second half and the Fever trailed the rest of the way.
Kelsey Mitchell led No. 7 seed Indiana with 27 points. Odyssey Sims scored 10 points and Aliyah Boston grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists. The Fever were miss