First Women's NBA double-double for Madina Okot against holders Aces

Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) rising rookie Madina Okot came off the bench for Atlanta Dream to notch her first-ever double-double, as they fell short in an 85-84 loss to Las Vegas Aces during a sold-out home clash at State Farm Arena.

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In just 16 minutes, the Kenyan star dropped 14 points and 11 rebounds, adding a sensational block as a shorthanded Atlanta team took on defending champions Aces, coming from a 17-point deficit to lose in the final seconds.

Atlanta played a spectacular second half, outscoring Aces 20-4, over the final eight minutes of regulation, another late-game burst on both ends of the floor, but ended on the losing end this time.

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It was not the best performance for Okot's side as they shot 37% from the field and just 22% from 3-point range.

The side scored 42 paint points and won the boards 45-38, this despite missing two of its best players, Bri Jones, out with a meniscus injury and Rhyne Howard, who suffered a concussion.

Okot earned praise from her coach, Karl Smesko, who maintains that everyone can see what the Kenya international is capable of becoming.

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“She was grabbing rebounds, making defensive plays, getting into the paint under control, making smart decisions with it.

I thought she was outstanding. Honestly, I really believe she’s going to end up as one of the best players in this league. She has that kind of ability," Smesko says.

"Obviously, a tough finish, but proud of the way our team stuck with it," Smesko said post-game. "Proud of how we competed, and I think we have a lot of room for improvement, which is really exciting for what we're capable of doing.

But, obviously, that doesn't make us feel any better in this particular moment."

On May 9, the Dream came back from 19 points down to stun Minnesota, 91-90, on the road, a trend that is definitely worrying for coach Smesko.

"We just got to do a better job of not getting down so much because it hurt us tonight (Sunday). It didn't hurt us last game, but tonight it really did because we lost by one point after being down by more than 15. I think we all want to see that fourth-quarter resiliency all the time," Smesko said.

"The energy, the competitiveness, that was great. The more we can see that, the better. There'll be more opportunities. This is a long season. We're going to keep getting better. I think we have the makings of a great team."

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