Shock spoils Dream's home opener; Humphrey sees limited action

ATLANTA - Cheryl Ford knew the Detroit Shock would improve their intensity on defense in the second half. <br /> <br /> ``I just think we all know we didn't come out to play as hard as we could,'' Ford said. ``We had too many turnovers that they got, so we got together at halftime and discussed being focused.'' <br /> <br /> Deanna Nolan had 33 points and eight assists before leaving the court with her left arm in a sling, and the Detroit Shock beat the expansion Atlanta Dream 88-76 on Friday night. <br /> <br /> Nolan, a starting guard for Detroit's 2003 and '06 WNBA championship teams, was 13-for-23 from the field. A collision late in the fourth quarter sent the former Georgia standout to the bench holding her arm. <br /> <br /> Nolan stayed in the training room after the game and boarded the team bus without speaking to reporters. Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer didn't sound as if her injury was a major concern. <br /> <br /> Laimbeer's concern was defense. <br /> <br /> ``In the second half, we played defense, got the offensive rebounds, and that was the difference in the game,'' Laimbeer said. ``I basically told them (at halftime) that it was a national television game and that the only way for us to get back in the game was to play defense and get rebounds.'' <br /> <br /> Ford had 13 rebounds for the Shock, who have won three of four to start the season. <br /> <br /> Betty Lennox scored 21 points to lead Atlanta, which dropped to 0-2 after losing its first game at Philips Arena. <br /> <br /> ``We are making progress as a team,'' Dream coach Marynell Meadors said. ``We were aggressive and defensive tonight. On offense, we just didn't hit some shots we should make. We will get better.'' <br /> <br /> The Dream went 0-for-14 beyond the 3-point arc before hitting two late in the fourth quarter. They shot just 20.9 percent from the field in the second half. <br /> Atlanta had a pair of 18-point leads in the second quarter, the last coming when Ericka DeSouza's layup made it 43-25.<br /> <br /> Ford, a strong frontline presence for Detroit since 2003, was disappointed with the Shock's first-half effort. <br /> <br /> Nolan opened the fourth quarter with a short jumper that made it 65-63, giving the Shock their first lead since the opening period. <br /> <br /> Detroit rookie guard Alexis Hornbuckle, the No. 4 overall draft pick, had 12 points and three steals as a reserve. She credited the Shock's defense with challenging Atlanta's pull-up jumpers in the lane. <br /> <br /> Nolan's shooting touch helped, too.<br /> <br /> ``We turned it around and we were getting stops that we needed,'' Hornbuckle said. ``Deanna had a great game, knocking down big shots.'' <br /> Dream guard Ivory Latta, an expansion pick who spent last season with Detroit, went 1-for-11 from the field. <br /> <br /> Nolan finished three points shy of her career high, set last July 24 at Connecticut. <br /> <br /> Shock rookie Tasha Humphrey, former Gainesville High School and University of Georgia standout, played four minutes, scoring two points.<br />

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