WASHINGTON (AP) — Allisha Gray scored 22 points, Jordin Canada had 13 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, and the Atlanta Dream advanced to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2018, beating the Washington Mystics 93-75 in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday night.
Atlanta, which had lost in the first round in each of the last three seasons, will host Game 1 of the semifinals on Sunday against New York, which swept Minnesota to become the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history.
Canada made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter, and she added a jumper from the free-throw line on Atlanta’s next trip for an 89-70 lead with 2:58 left.
Canada also had 11 assists and seven rebounds. Rhyne Howard finished with 15 points before fouling out with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter. Angel Reese also had 15 points and Naz Hillmon added 10.
Sonia Citron scored 25 points for Washington. Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 16 rebounds and became the first player in franchise history to have a first-half double-double in a playoff game.
Atlanta led 41-28 with 1:26 left in the first half before Washington closed on a 7-0 run, capped by Citron’s shot in the lane just before the buzzer. The Mystics were hurt by 11 first-half turnovers.
Washington went on a 14-2 run starting in the third quarter to get within 65-62. But Atlanta scored the next 13 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Canada, to rebuild a double-digit lead at 78-62.
The Mystics were making their first playoff appearance since winning the 2019 WNBA championship.
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