Rhyne Howard had connected on just one 3-pointer all night. But with the game on the line, the three-time All-Star didn’t hesitate to shoot another.
With under a minute remaining and the Dream clinging to a two-point lead, Naz Hillmon chased down her own rebound and kicked the ball back out to Howard on the left wing. Howard rose with confidence, knocked down the triple and raised her arms to the Gateway Center Arena crowd, igniting a roar as the Dream went up 73-68.
Although the Lynx clawed back within striking distance in the final seconds, Allisha Gray and the Dream had the final word. Gray finished with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals, the last of which sealed a 75-73 win over league-leading Minnesota on Thursday.
“Those second chance points, those opportunities, not giving up on the play, that’s what it takes to beat those teams,” Dream center Brionna Jones said postgame. “We know Rhyne (Howard) is going to knock it down when she gets her eyes to the rim. … She (Naz Hillmon) continues to get those second chance opportunities and those plays for us.”
The win tied the Dream (23-13) with the most wins in franchise history, matching the 2018 squad that reached the WNBA Finals. The Dream also became the first team to beat Minnesota twice this season.
Trailing by six in the fourth quarter, the Dream turned to Gray to spark their surge. The three-time All-Star delivered, scoring seven of the Dream’s nine unanswered points, including back-to-back threes that flipped the score to 63-60.
Howard added two free throws to extend the cushion and the Dream held Minnesota without a field goal for nearly five minutes. But the Lynx weren’t finished, as Courtney Williams scored in transition before Bridget Carleton buried a three, trimming the gap to 68-67.
Howard’s late triple gave the Dream breathing room, though Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard answered to keep Minnesota within two. Gray’s steal in the closing seconds finally put the game to bed along with a celebratory water bath from Howard.
Behind Gray, Howard finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals as the Dream’s only other double-digit scorer. The Dream improved to 13-4 overall and 6-1 at home when they hold their opponents to less than 80 points in a contest.
A big part in the Dream’s success defensively came from blocks as the team tied its season high with eight and five coming in the fourth quarter including three from Jones.
“She (Jones) really shut down the paint,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “The shot blocks at the rim and everything that she (Jones) did for us, she was exceptional all game long. That’s something that we’re really going to need from her going forward.”
Smesko also added that the team’s defense did a better job of communicating down the stretch of the contest.
The Dream entered the third quarter with an extra pep in their step, putting together a 6-0 run including a big steal that resulted in a fastbreak layup for Gray, forcing Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve to call a timeout to corral her troops.
Over the final five minutes of the quarter, the Lynx erupted for a 13-2 run with a heavy dose of Shepard and Smith as the duo combined for nine of Minnesota’s 20 points in the quarter. The Lynx led the Dream 60-54 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Dream seized early momentum behind Gray’s relentless drives, building a 33-28 lead in the second quarter and later stretching it to 10 on Gray’s 3-pointer from the right wing. But turnovers kept Minnesota within reach. The Lynx forced six in the half and closed on an 8-0 run, pulling within 42-40 at the break.
The Dream return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. ET when they host the New York Liberty.
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