Kenyan basketball sensation Madina Okot was once again on top of her game early Wednesday morning, as her Atlanta Dream side began their pivotal West Coast road trip with a crucial 97-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Okot, 21, scored six points and recorded an assist in eight big minutes off the bench to help Atlanta rebound from their painful overtime defeat to Indiana Fever last weekend and build real steam ahead of a pivotal run to the postseason.
The Kenyan, still learning her ropes in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association), showed incredible tenacity in a highly contested battle, building from a slow start in the first quarter that saw her turn the ball over and get called for an offensive foul under the basket, to serving as a real weapon for the rest of the game. Okot’s first bucket came midway through the second quarter when she was fed inside by Angel Reese, before earning her stripes in the final frame with two made free throws early on, coupled with a strong move over NaLyssa Smith off the glass, to add to her tally.
Those plays came at a crucial time for Karl Smesko’s side, which took advantage of a heated moment in the second quarter that saw Aces coach Becky Hammon tossed with a technical foul, to go on a 28-16 run that eventually saw them record their 12th win this season by at least 10 points. Reese, evidently carrying the missed last-second lay-up against Fever on her mind, led the team with 21 points and 10 rebounds for her 24th double-double this season, while Allisha Gray and the returning Jordin Canada added 21 and 17 points respectively.
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“Having a win like this is going to help us when it comes down to it,” Rhyne Howard, who scored 22 points to move into second in franchise history with her 57th game of at least 20 points, said post-game. With the win, Dream, who still have nine games to go to the end of the season, established a tangible cushion over the three teams below them in the eight-team playoff chase.
Sitting fifth with a 22-13 record, Dream now lead sixth-place New York by one game, seventh-place Washington by 1.5 games, and eighth-place Dallas by 2.5 games.Their next chance to grab another road victory comes on Friday, 21 August, when they visit the Los Angeles Sparks.