Madina Okot's double-digit effort overshadowed by Dream's latest defeat
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 05.07.26. | 17:45
The 21-year-old was however back among the reserves after making her first professional start last week
Kenyan basketball star Madina Okot was back into double-digits scoring as her Atlanta Dream side extended their losing skid to five games, going down 88-83 to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday, 4 July.
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Okot, who made her first career start in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) last week, was a reserve this time round, coming up with 11 points and two rebounds, from just 10 minutes of play.
The 21-year-old made an instant impact in her first minutes on the floor, scoring four quick points as a late first-quarter substitution for Allisha Gray.
Her other seven points came late in the third quarter, when she connected two layups and drained three free-throws to make it her first double-digit scoring game since hitting another 11 in Dream’s 105-90 defeat to Seattle Storm on Sunday, 28 June.
On the bigger view of things, the latest defeat was Atlanta’s fifth in a row, following their 0-4 run on the road that came to an end against Washington Mystics on Thursday, 2 July.
As a result, Dream, who have a 12-9 record, have dropped from top of the Eastern Conference standings to third, behind the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever, who hold a 12-8 and 11-8 record respectively.
Commenting on the defeat - and a season sweep from the Valkyries - Dream head coach Karl Smesko lamented on his side’s poor shooting, which has seen them outscored in the fourth quarter for the fourth time in their current losing streak.
“I don't think it's anything drastic,” Smesko said on the stat. “It's just a play here, a play there, a call here, a call there. There's a big difference if you're up two in the last minute, where they’ve got to foul you, as opposed to being down two, and suddenly you’ve got to foul them. We’re playing really hard. Unfortunately, we're not shooting very well, and I think that's taken its toll a little bit.”
With a number of days awaiting them before their next game against Seattle Storm on Friday, 10 July, team superstar Angel Reese said: “Any team in front of us should be scared because we're ready and we're going to continue to put our foot forward every day, watch film, get together and figure ourselves out. We’re not down.”