Second Quarter Dooms Shock In Atlanta

Ericka de Souza had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Atlanta Dream used a big second-quarter run to pull away from the Tulsa Shock en route to a 92-76 victory on Friday night.

Sancho Lyttle scored 17 points and Aneika Henry had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Dream, who outscored the Shock 20-4 during one stretch of the second.

Atlanta won its second straight after a five-game losing streak. The Dream (19-14) clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday.

Skylar Diggins, who was shut out in the first half, led Tulsa (12-21) with 24 points. She was 0 for 6 during the decisive first half. Odyssey Sims had 23 points.

Angel McCoughtry, the Dream's leading scorer, came off the bench after missing two games due to tendinitis in her feet. She scored 12 points in 15 minutes.

The Dream led by as many as 28 points in the second half before the Shock cut the lead to 10 late in the fourth quarter. Shoni Schimmel (13 points, nine assists) nailed a 3-pointer with 1:53 to play that stopped the Shock's momentum and gave Atlanta an 88-75 lead.

For the second straight game, the Dream took control with a dominating second quarter. Atlanta outscored Tulsa 24-6 to build a 47-25 halftime advantage. The Shock shot 3 for 15 from the floor and missed their final eight shots en route to a season low in scoring for a quarter.

Despite facing league rebounding leader Courtney Paris, who finished with 12 rebounds, Atlanta owned a 48-34 rebounding edge.

The Dream finish the regular season at Connecticut on Sunday and will host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on either Aug. 21 or 22.

Before the game, the Dream announced a multiyear contract extension with Lyttle, who has spent the last six seasons of her 10-year career with Atlanta.