The Sports Inquirer

Dream split weekend contests

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

The Atlanta split their two contests last week, earning an 80-69 home win over Seattle on May 30 and dropping a road game to Connecticut 85-76 on Sunday.

In the Seattle contest, Tiffany Hayes’ 20 points led the charge for the Dream. Angel McCoughtry (18), Erika DeSouza (14), Sancho Lyttle (13) and Jazmine Thomas (11) also scored in double figures. Lyttle also had a team-high 10 rebounds in the contest.

Atlanta had a sluggish start to the second half and the Storm a 48-41 lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter. However, the Dream bounced back with an 18-5 run behind baskets by McCoughtry, Hayes and Lyttle to take a 59-53 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Storm were able to tie the game at 61-61 with 6:12 left in the contest. The Dream responded with four straight points from Erika DeSouza to take command of the contest. She ended the game with 14 points and eight rebounds. A McCoughtry jumper with 2:51 left in the game made the score 69-62 in favor of Atlanta.

Seattle led the contest 36-35 at halftime with Crystal Langhorne having a game-high 14 points for the Storm. Tiffany Hayes contributed a team-high 12 points for Atlanta. The road team had a significant advantage on converted three-pointers with five made in the first half while the Dream only making two.

The Dream struggled from the field to start the contest missed its first four shots. However, Atlanta rebounded with an 8-0 run to take control of the first quarter and ended the frame with a 20-16 lead.
Dream activate French National Team Captain

from Staff Reports

French National Team captain and point guard Céline Dumerc has been removed from the suspended list, and will be active for the Dream’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, June 3.

Dumerc, who was placed on the suspended list while fulfilling her overseas playing commitments to her French club team, arrived in the United States on Sunday and passed her physical Monday. To make room for her on the roster, the Dream waived rookie guard Inga Orekhova.

Dumerc, a two-time EuroLeague All-Star, just completed a French League season that saw her help Bourges Basket reach the semifinals of the EuroLeague championships as well as the finals of the French League playoffs. She averaged 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 French League games, and 8.9 points, 4.9 boards and 4.9 assists in 18 EuroLeague contests.

The five-foot, seven-inch lefty is also the captain of the French national team and led her team in scoring while guiding France to the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. She was named the 2012 FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year following her Olympic performance.

Dumerc was named France’s Sportsman of the Year in 2012 by Radio France, becoming the first female to ever receive the award. She also earned the prestigious La Gazzetta dello Sport Female European Basketball player of the year award for 2012.