LOS ANGELES — Rhyne Howard scored 25 points, Tina Charles had 21 with 14 rebounds and Atlanta turned back the Los Angeles Sparks in their season opener.
Howard had five points as the Dream opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run for a 77-66 lead. The Sparks got within 87-81 on a 3-pointer by Cameron Brink, the overall No. 2 pick, with 1:34 left but they missed their last four shots and had a critical turnover while Atlanta went 5 of 6 from the foul line.
Haley Jones had 14 points and Allisha Gray had 12 for the Dream and Charles, the overall No. 1 pick in 2010 who sat out last season, had 14 rebounds as the Dream shot 51 per cent.
Kia Nurse had five 3-pointers and 23 points for Los Angeles. Dearica Hamby had 20 points and 14 rebounds and 11-year veteran Layshia Clarendon had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her first career triple-double. Brink also had 11 points.
WINGS 87, SKY 79
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, Teaira McCowan and Natasha Howard had double-doubles and the Dallas Wings pulled away down the stretch for an 87-79 win over the Chicago Sky in a season opener on Wednesday night.
Trailing 75-73 with 3:16 to go, the Wings scored the next 14 points, capped by a deep 3-pointer by Ogunbowale for an 87-75 lead with 31 seconds left. Ogunbowale had nine points in the run with Howard, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, adding two and Maddy Siegrist hitting a 3-pointer to give her 13 off the bench.
McCowan had 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Marina Mabrey had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Sky, who had all five starters in double figures. Diamond DeShields, back for her second stint in Chicago, had 14 points, first-round draft pick Angel Reese and Elizabeth Williams, who played for Washington last season, both had 12 and Dana Evans had 10.
