Shock Loses Season Opener In Atlanta

Skylar Diggins got her first game out of the way, but the Shock struggled in Atlanta. <br />

Saturday, May 25th 2013, 9:36 pm

By: News On 6

The start of the 2013 season looked an awful lot like most of the 2012 campaign for the Tulsa Shock.

Rough starts to both the first and second halves doomed the Shock Saturday night as Tulsa lost its season opener in Atlanta.

Tulsa was outscored 29-16 in the first quarter and 27-16 in the third en route to the 98-81 defeat.

Riquna Williams led Tulsa (0-1) with 22 points and four steals. Rookie Skylar Diggins added 15 points on 4-13 shooting in the first game of her promising career.

Tiffany Hayes led Atlanta (1-0) with 21 points while Sancho Lyttle added 18 and 10 rebounds. Angel McCoughtry poured in 16 points and was one of five Dream players to score in double figures.

Atlanta shot 53 percent from the floor and 33 percent from downtown. Tulsa managed just 38 percent from the floor and 31 percent from 3-point range. The Shock's incredible 28-30 free-throw shooting kept them in the game. Atlanta outrebounded Tulsa 41-31.

Next up for Tulsa is Monday afternoon's home opener against the Washington Mystics.