Atlanta Dream thrills fans in Albany

Published 2:07 am Saturday, May 18, 2019

ALBANY –– Basketball fans in South Georgia got a treat Friday night as the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream hosted the Washington Mystics in the Albany Civic Center for their preseason finale.

About two and a half hours South of Atlanta, the Albany Civic Center had basketball fans filing in for the 7 p.m. tip-off, and the crowd showed their excitement for the first Dream game in Georgia played outside of Atlanta.

Minutes before tip, the Dream was honored with a framed proclamation gifted by the mayor of Albany, Dorothy Hubbard. The gift signified the city’s appreciation and celebrated the moment.

The Dream lost 75-64 but the game didn’t disappoint, and fans were engaged the entire night.

“Albany showed up and showed out!” Dream point guard Renee Montgomery said about the fan support. “I appreciated it –– that was a pretty good crowd for a preseason game. It makes the game more fun for us, and it was exciting.” 

The game got off to a quick start as the Mystics led 22-15 after the first quarter. 

The second quarter didn’t follow suit as the Dream scored a grand total of four points in the quarter and entered the half down 40-19. 

Typically, a score like that makes a crowd grow lazy and quiet but the fans stayed consistent with their high energy throughout the night. The continuous cheering was the driving force behind the Dream’s third quarter rally.

“The crowd was amazing,” Atlanta Dream head coach Nicki Collen said. “They were really into the game –– I’m disappointed that we didn’t keep them in the game in the second quarter, but I thought in the third quarter we started to play a little bit better and the crowd stayed with us so really really good environment here tonight.”

The Dream put up a fight and rallied back in the third quarter, scoring 31 points and cut the deficit down to eight going into the fourth quarter. 

However, it wasn’t enough to take the lead. 

Easy shots didn’t fall for the Dream and on the other end, the Mystics took full advantage at the foul line, finishing the night with 21 made free throws in 27 attempts. Its precision at the stripe helped Washington maintain its lead and secure its first preseason win. 

Mystics guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough finished with the game-high of 18 points while Tiffany Hayes led the Dream in scoring with 17 points. 

After the game, the Dream held an autograph signing on the court and all players were available to give autographs and take photos.

Fans of all ages were visually appreciative for the event, and hopefully the Dream will make another home-road trip to the Albany Civic Center sometime soon.