Ryne Howard returned from the Paris Olympics as a bronze medalist. Her Performance As a member of Team USA’s 3×3 basketball team.
But it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-2 guard to readjust to the 5-on-5 style of basketball he’s most comfortable with. Howard exploded for a season-high 30 points on 10-of-16 field goals in an 83-81 win over the Sky on Friday night.
Howard hasn’t been the most efficient this season, shooting just 38.6% from the field and averaging just 15.4 points per game, but the 2022 Rookie of the Year hasn’t lost his confidence, and it paid off here.
“I always say shooters are gonna make shots,” said Howard, who made 5 of 9 3-pointers. “When you make one, the next two are a heat check, so they just keep going in.”
Tina Charles saved the Dream Team
While Howard was the game’s leading scorer, it was veteran center Tina Charles who was the hero.
Dream guard Jordan Canada made two free throws to put Atlanta up by three with 10 seconds left in the game, then Skylar Diggins-Smith, who was finishing with a season-high 29 points, missed a 3-pointer to tie the game, but Jewel Loyd got the rebound and made a 3-pointer.
The game appeared to be heading into overtime, but Charles scored the winning buzzer-beater to give Atlanta the victory.
Charles, the third-leading scorer in WNBA history, finished with 16 points and seven rebounds and was seen celebrating after the game.
“It felt really good,” Charles said. “It was a really good win.”
Alisha Gray (19 points) and Naz Hillmon (13 rebounds, 6 points) were also key players for the Dream.
Jordan Canada, who has been out since July 2 with a broken finger, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, and Dream head coach Tanisha Wright praised her contributions.
“She’s a player who’s experienced in this league and has won championships in this league,” Coach Wright said, “so having someone there who’s a commander on the floor who can find the right people at the right time and bring the team together, who’s experienced, who we can give her that final shot.”
With the win, the Dream currently sit in ninth place in the WNBA standings with an 8-17 record and are still within reach of the playoffs. They’re two games behind the eighth-place Chicago Sky, but Atlanta needs to win consecutive games in the final 15 games of the WNBA season.
For the Storm, Skylar Diggins-Smith played well despite the loss.
Diggins-Smith started the game aggressively, scoring a season-high 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting and adding five assists.
“I’m just trying to play aggressively for my team,” Diggins-Smith said after the game, noting that he maintains a delicate balance between scoring and assists.
Jewell Loyd, who finished with 21 points on just 7-of-19 field goals, credited Diggins-Smith with giving Seattle a chance to win.
“We couldn’t have won the game without her,” Lloyd said. “We knew that and she was aggressive on both ends of the court from the get-go, and that’s what we want from her.”
