San Antonio Stars fumble late chances, fall to Dream 79-75

The San Antonio Stars couldn't capitalize on a stellar game from Danielle Robinson in a season-opening 79-75 loss to the Atlanta Dream.

Down 75-73 with under 24 seconds to play Robinson carried the ball over the half court line and I waited for head coach Dan Hughes to call a timeout to draw up a play. It never came. Instead Robinson dribbled around for a few seconds before passing the ball to rookie Kayla McBride who dribbled twice before fumbling the ball over to the Dream, thus ending any realistic chance the Stars had of winning the game.

No result can be placed on the shoulders of one play, but Hughes neglecting to call a timeout with time running down looms large as San Antonio lost a very winnable game. A tight first half ended with the Stars down two points, but Danielle Adams combined with Robinson to give San Antonio a five point lead three minutes into the fourth quarter. The two Danielles combined to score 41 of the Stars' 75 points.

The Dream hung around and kept the game close all the way to the end. Sophia Young-Malcolm, who was quiet in her first WNBA game since 2012, had a chance to put the Stars on top with 1:39 to go in the game after an Angel McCoughtry sent her to the free throw line. Young-Malcolm missed both free throws which left the game tied at 72.

Angel De Souza and Robinson traded a free throw each and then McCoughtry put the Dream on top for good with a driving layup to score her eighteenth and nineteenth points of the evening. She finished with 21 to lead all scorers.

[Box Score] [San Antonio Stars Website] [Atlanta Dream Website]

Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star: Angel McCoughtry

2nd Star: Erika De Souza

1st Star: Danielle Robinson

• Danielle Robinson was phenomenal tonight. She scored 23 points on 8-9 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line. She also picked up four rebounds and three assists, but she turned the ball over three times.
• Danielle Adams was huge for San Antonio off the bench (sound familiar?). The former Aggie scored 18 on 7-14 shooting and led the Stars with four assists.
• Speaking of assists -- how about Shoni Schimmel's WNBA debut? She led all players with 11 assists and some of them were of the wow-she-is-good-at-passing variety. She scored just seven points on 2-6 shooting, but when you're passing like that...it might not matter.
• Erika De Souza picked up the only double-double in the game as she scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
• Sophia Young-Malcolm led the Stars in rebounding (12) but got off to a slow start shooting the basketball as she went just 3-9 from the field.
• San Antonio too 14 3-pointers and made just three of them. Not good.
• Rebounds and turnovers were nearly even, but the Dream's better efficiency (read: they did not take 14 3-pointers) proved to be the difference in the game.
• Angel McCoughtry seemed to strain something (Dream broadcasters speculated her hip flexor) in the fourth quarter, but played the rest of the game.