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McCoughtry, Lyttle lead Dream over Stars 81-79

By WTOP Staff

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Atlanta Dream were not going to let anything take away from a big road victory, even though they nearly blew it in the final minutes.

Angel McCoughtry scored 18 points and Sancho Lyttle had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Atlanta held on for an 81-79 victory over the San Antonio Stars on Thursday night.

“It was a great win,” Lyttle said. “It came down to the end. Most games are going to come like that, and we kept our poise.”

Tiffany Hayes added 15 points and Erika de Souza 14 points for Atlanta (10-4), which never trailed in winning for the seventh time in eight games. The Dream have the league’s best record.

Becky Hammon’s 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run that pulled San Antonio within 77-74 with 57.2 seconds remaining.

McCoughtry made a pair of free throws and Celine Dumerc added another to extend the lead to 80-76. San Antonio forward Shameka Christon hit a 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 80-79, but the Stars were unable to complete the rally.

“We were backpedaling a little bit,” Lyttle said. “Maybe it was fatigue or maybe it was them. We’ve got to play 40 minutes. They were shooting 3s and they got back in the game with four 3s. If you look at stats like that, we weren’t playing our defense.”

San Antonio reserve Jia Perkins scored 17 points before leaving the game in the third quarter with a strained right hamstring. Christon added 14 points and Shenise Johnson 10. Hammon finished with eight.

“I definitely think that we were worried about (Perkins),” Johnson said. “Jia gives us that energy and that spark. She is instant buckets for us. I wouldn’t say we lost our focus, but I would say we dropped our shoulders a little bit.”

The Stars (7-8) lost their second straight after a three-game winning streak.

Atlanta scored the game’s first nine points, taking a 17-7 lead before San Antonio’s bench sparked a rally.

The Stars’ reserves had 24 of their 42 first-half points, including 11 by Perkins, in cutting the Dream’s lead to 45-42 entering the third quarter. San Antonio’s bench finished with 52.

“I didn’t like our focus early,” Stars coach Dan Hughes said. “You have to look at the facts, and we had 52 points coming off the bench. They are a good basketball team. There is a reason they are leading the East. They are very athletic, and they create a lot of difficulties for us. We were just trying to get a rhythm.”

Dumerc had a point and seven assists in front of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who also is from France.

The 31-year-old rookie made her WNBA debut June 3 after completing her season with a French team.

“One reason we like Celine was her ability to make other players on the floor better,” Atlanta coach Michael Cooper said. “She’s slowly but surely getting acclimated to the WNBA. She’s understanding our philosophies and schemes on offense and defense that we want.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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