Nolan scores 22, Zellous adds 21 as Shock advance in WNBA playoffs with 94-79 win over Dream

Shock advance with 94-79 win over Dream

DULUTH, Ga. — Deanna Nolan scored 22 points and Shavonte Zellous added 21 to help the Detroit Shock advance to the WNBA’s Eastern Conference finals with a 94-79 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Friday night.

Alexis Hornbuckle had 15 points for the Shock, who swept the best-of-3 series and will face either Indiana or Washington in the next round. The defending champions reached the conference finals for the fourth straight season.

Ivory Latta and Angel McCoughtry had 21 points each for the Dream, who made their first playoff appearance in their second season after going 4-30 in 2008.

Erika DeSouza finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight turnovers for Atlanta.

Michelle Snow’s two free throws put Atlanta up 58-57 with 1:48 left in the third quarter. The Dream would not lead again as Detroit went on a 9-0 run, capped by Olayinka Sanni’s layup that made it 70-61 with just over 8 minutes remaining.

Detroit, which lost the regular season series against the Dream 3-1, increased its lead to 16 points in the fourth on Kara Braxton’s layup. The Shock shot 57.1 percent from the field, while holding Atlanta to 33.3 percent.