ARLINGTON — The fans at College Park Center couldn’t believe what was happening right in front of them.

It was only a few minutes into the second quarter and the Dallas Wings, which won 94-82 over Atlanta to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, were on the verge of being run off the floor. For a while, the Wings’ chances of winning Game 1 were drifting quickly out to sea.

Then Natasha Howard passed out of the post to Odyssey Sims for a corner 3-pointer at the 7:19 mark to cut the deficit to 41-26, and the tide turned back to shore.

The Wings’ stagnant offense found a motor. Their defense crashed down on Atlanta. The Dream lost control of the game. When Teaira McCowan connected on an and-1 free throw with 0.8 seconds left in the half, the Wings had erased a 20-point deficit to zero in the span of one quarter.

Fourth-seeded Dallas kept its pace in the second half on its way to the win, giving the Wings a series lead over fifth-seeded Atlanta.

For the first nearly 13 minutes of the game, the Dream blew through the Wings like a late-summer storm.

Rhyne Howard stunned the Texas crowd with a record-breaking first quarter. The second-year pro, playing in her first playoff game, was unfazed and unstoppable over the first 10 minutes. She scored 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including three 3-pointers that came seven seconds or less after a Wings basket.

Pace and transition were two key points of emphasis for both sides entering the game. Atlanta wanted to run up and down the floor, jump-starting its offense on the fast break. Dallas looked to quell the Dream’s transition offense and force them to play in the halfcourt, where its defensive size and length is more impactful.

The first-quarter-plus of the game was played to Atlanta’s tempo. The Dream not only moved the ball quickly down the court, initiating their offense as quickly as possible, but they also affected the Wings’ offensive flow. Dallas rushed shots and attempted ill-advised passes.

Satou Sabally was the only reason the Wings were able to stay in the game. The 6-4 unicorn, who scored 13 of the team’s 19 points in the first quarter, had one four-possession stretch in which she drove the ball each time, leading to seven points. She finished with a playoff franchise-record 32 points.

After struggling in the second quarter with no points, Howard found her stroke in the third quarter with 12 points. Thanks to her flurry, Atlanta entered the fourth quarter up three. She finished the game with 36 points, a record for a WNBA player in a playoff debut.

The Dream held that lead until Sabally took matters into her own hands in the fourth. She nailed a 3-pointer to tie it, McCowan snagged an offensive rebound for a put-back and then Sabally drove to the paint for a layup.

Dallas never relinquished the lead after that as the entire team made plays down the stretch to win,

Arike Ogunbowale — who stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals— scored or assisted on the final four baskets. McCowan locked down the paint. Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield scored timely lead-extending baskets as Atlanta ran out of gas.

Howard reaches playoff benchmark: With Friday’s game, Howard became the second player in WNBA history after Sheri Sam to play in the playoffs with five different teams.

Game 1 was Howard’s 49th career playoff game. She is fourth among all active players after DeWanna Bonner, Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker.

Sims is the only other player on Dallas’ active roster who has played in double-digit playoff games.

Coach wins first playoff game: Latricia Trammell became the first coach in Wings franchise history since Detroit Shock interim head coach Rick Mahorn in 2009 to win a first playoff game as a head coach. That 2009 Shock team was also the last team in franchise history to win its first game of the postseason. Detroit swept the Dream in the first round that year before losing in the conference finals to the Indiana Fever.

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