Hayes paces Dream with 22 points in win over Sky

Guard Tiffany Hayes scored a game-high 22 points and the visiting Atlanta Dream cruised past the Chicago Sky with an 81-63 win on Wednesday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.

Atlanta (1-1) earned its first victory of the season after absorbing a 23-point loss in its opener against the Dallas Wings.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Chicago (2-1), which dropped to 1-1 on its new home court.

Hayes made 7 of 15 shots, including 4 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line. She also made all four of her free-throw attempts.

Guard Brittney Sykes added 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting off the bench for Atlanta. She was joined in double digits by starting center Elizabeth Williams (11 points, six rebounds, six assists) and forward Angel McCoughtry (10 points, seven rebounds, three assists), who recently eclipsed the 5,000-point mark in her WNBA career.

Chicago was led by guard Allie Quigley, who finished with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting. She was the only player to score in double digits for the Sky.

Center Stefanie Dolson had nine points and forward Cheyenne Parker recorded eight points for Chicago. Center Alaina Coates led the team with eight rebounds off the bench.

Atlanta shot 46.5 percent (33 of 71) from the field and 33.3 percent (6 of 18) from beyond the arc. Chicago shot 36.8 percent (25 of 68) overall and 21.4 percent (3 of 14) from long range.

The Dream also enjoyed a dominant 41-28 advantage on the glass en route to the lopsided victory.

Atlanta jumped to a fast start and led 39-27 at the half.

Chicago pulled within five points on a three-point conversion by Dolson with 6:56 to go in the second quarter. But the Dream quickly answered with a pair of layups by Williams and Hayes to regain a comfortable lead.

The Dream scored 26 points in the first quarter to establish an 11-point lead. Sykes drained a jump shot in the final minute of the first quarter to put Atlanta on top by double digits.

–Field Level Media