Wallace scores career-high 20, leads Fever over Dream 83-80
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kristy Wallace scored a career-high 20 points and buried three 3-pointers in the final 70 seconds as the Indiana Fever kept their playoff hopes alive with an 83-80 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
Wallace, who came in averaging 6.1 points per game this season, sank 7 of 10 shots from the floor for Indiana (11-24), including 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. Kelsey Mitchell added 14 points and six assists, while Grace Berger scored 12 off the bench. NaLyssa Smith had a game-high 13 rebounds to go with eight points.
Cheyenne Parker scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to notch her seventh double-double of the season for Atlanta (16-19). Rhyne Howard contributed 17 points and six boards. Allisha Gray scored 13 points after missing the previous two games with an ankle sprain. Reserve Naz Hillmon scored 12 with eight rebounds.
Aaliyah Boston scored nine of Indiana’s first 11 points, adding five rebounds, two steals and a block to guide the Fever to a 23-18 lead after one quarter. Boston did not score again.
Wallace, Berger and Amanda Zahui all hit 3-pointers in a 15-4 run and the Fever led 38-22 with 7:14 left in the second period. Howard made two free throws and a 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds to pull the Dream within 47-37 at halftime.
Parker scored six points and Hillmon sank two free throws and a jumper to give Atlanta a 52-51 lead with 2:06 left in the third quarter. The Dream took a 58-54 lead into the final period after AD Durr and Hillmon hit shots in the final 29 seconds.
Parker scored six in an 8-0 spurt to begin the quarter and the Dream maintained a two-possession lead until Wallace buried a 3-pointer with 1:10 left to play to get the Fever within two. Wallace hit another 3-pointer to put Indiana up 79-78 with 23 seconds remaining. Atlanta regained the lead on an Aari McDonald layup, but Wallace delivered from beyond the arc with 8 seconds left and Mitchell hit 1 of 2 free throws to pull out the win.
Atlanta has lost 11 of its last 15 games. The Dream drop below the sixth-place Washington Mystics and lead the eighth-place Los Angeles Sparks by a half-game.
Indiana has won three straight games for the first time this season.
___ AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball