The Atlanta Dream will be without their top scorer for at least a month. Guard Tiffany Hayes has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL tear in her right knee, the team announced Monday.
An MRI taken over the weekend confirmed the diagnosis of the injury, which occurred in the third quarter of the Dream's game at Washington on Thursday.
The expected recovery time is approximately four to six weeks.
Hayes has played in 11 games and is averaging a career-high 17.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals. As of Monday, she is the 12th-ranked scorer in the league.
Atlanta is 5-7 and ranked 10th in the league, right outside the playoffs. The team is struggling to have any consistency, and it will be even harder for the Dream without Hayes. Courtney Williams will now carry most of the load for the next few weeks -- she is averaging 16.9 PPG (a career-high) and 7.1 RPG.