Angel Reese’s 30-16 Night Flips WNBA Finals Home Court
A dominant 15-2 third-quarter run erased Golden State's defensive edge and shifted the best-of-seven series to Atlanta.
A 15-2 run in the third quarter dismantled Golden State’s defensive blueprint Monday night, shifting momentum in a WNBA Finals that now heads to Atlanta tied 1-1.
The Valkyries built their Game 1 victory on suffocating the paint. They held the Dream to 32.8% shooting from the field and 16% from three-point range during Saturday’s 68-64 win at Chase Center. That strategy collapsed entirely 48 hours later. Angel Reese finished with 30 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal as Atlanta secured a 79-65 victory, according to game statistics.
Reese scored 15 of those points before halftime. Her production more than doubled her Game 1 output of 14 points and 12 rebounds, when Golden State’s interior rotations consistently forced her into contested looks.
The adjustment came through ball movement rather than isolation. Jordin Canada recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, operating as the primary distributor who punished the Valkyries whenever they collapsed on Reese. Allisha Gray added 18 points and five rebounds for the Dream.
Golden State’s offensive engine stalled simultaneously. Gabby Williams, who scored 26 points in Game 1, shot 3-of-15 from the floor and finished with 14 points. Tiffany Hayes also scored 14, while Veronica Burton contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, according to official box score figures.
The split strips the second-seeded Valkyries of home-court advantage. Atlanta entered the best-of-seven series as the No. 4 seed after sweeping both the Washington Mystics and New York Liberty in earlier rounds, improving its overall postseason record to 6-1 following Monday’s win.
This marks the first Finals victory in the franchise’s 16-year history. The Dream had previously gone 0-10 in championship games, suffering sweeps against the Seattle Storm in 2010 and the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and 2013.
Golden State is competing in the Finals in only its second season of existence. Neither organization has won a WNBA title.
Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 24, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
