UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Sun veteran Tan White had gone her entire collegiate and professional career without making a game-winning shot.
That changed Wednesday night when the Connecticut guard hit a jumper with 0.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 88-86 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
In her ninth professional season, White was the leading scorer in Division I basketball her senior year at Mississippi State (2005).
"When I played in college, the game never got down to that point," White said.
Tina Charles had 25 points and six rebounds for the Sun (7-15) and Renee Montgomery added 18 points and four assists.
White finished with 15 points and four rebounds, and rookie Kelly Faris made three 3-pointers, collecting 11 points and seven rebounds in her first start.
Angel McCoughtry scored 33 points on 13-of-27 shooting for Atlanta (11-9), adding eight rebounds and three steals. Armintie Harrington was the only other Atlanta player in double figures, scoring 15 points to go with six rebounds.
Atlanta erased a 15-point, third-quarter deficit and led 86-83 with over a minute remaining in the game.
Montgomery tied the game moments later with a 3-pointer.
The Dream had a chance to go ahead when Herrington was fouled with 1:03 left. She missed both free throws, but teammate Erika de Souza grabbed the rebound.
Atlanta got off two more shots before the Sun got the ball back with 23.6 seconds remaining.
White followed with her game-winner.
"We knew we wanted to run all the time off the clock to leave them no shot," White said. "We just did a really good job of reading what the defense gave us. It just happened to fall in my hands at the end. I took a great shot."
Both teams were without a starter. Atlanta was missing forward Sancho Lyttle (left foot) and Connecticut was without guard Allison Hightower (knee).
It was Atlanta's eighth loss in nine games.
"A lot of things have changed," Dream coach Fred Williams said. "One factor is injuries. The other is being on the road a lot. (There's) been maybe two games in 30 days at home. That's a factor.
"We just have to get back in the scheme of things."
McCoughtry put on an offensive show and led Atlanta's third-quarter blitz. The Dream trailed 66-53 when she started a 14-0 run with a 3-pointer. She scored back-to-back baskets to give the Dream a 67-66 edge with 1:34 left in the period.
"She is something else," Sun forward Mistie Bass said. "She can score at will. She is the type of player who can orchestrate exactly what a defense is going to do, and she's really smart at what she does."
Connecticut had a one-point lead with seconds left in the first quarter when Montgomery made a 3-pointer to start a 16-3 run.
Montgomery ended the run with a pull-up jumper to give the Sun a 41-28 lead with over six minutes left in the first half.
Charles' scored on a three-point play, followed by a jumper, to push Connecticut ahead, 48-33, with over four minutes remaining in the half.
"(There were) a lot of heroes tonight," Sun coach Anne Donovan said. "A good win for us, obviously."
