Angel Reese had 30 points (10-of-16 FG), 16 rebounds, three assists and two blocks as the Atlanta Dream tied up the WNBA Finals with a 79-65 win over the Golden State Valkyries on Monday.
In the process, Reese made WNBA history on multiple fronts, becoming the youngest player to record both a 30/15 playoff game and a 20/10 performance in the Finals.
30 PTS 16 REB 2 BLK 10-16 FG
The youngest player in WNBA history with a 30/15 playoff game.
Angel Reese – 24 years, 166 days (tonight) Cappie Pondexter – 24 years, 252 days (2007) Jonquel Jones – 25 years, 269 days (2019)
She also became the third player to record 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game.
She’s just the third player in WNBA history with 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game 🔥
Angel Reese Sends 5-Word Message
After her historic performance, Reese sent a fitting five-word message via X.
“DUBS IN THE MF CHAT,” an emphatic Reese wrote.
The Defensive Player of the Year was extra determined to bounce back after a heartbreaking 68-64 loss in Game 1, where the Dream carried a 56-51 lead into the fourth quarter before being held to just eight points down the stretch.
“I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” Reese said after the Game 2 win, via ESPN’s Michael Voepel.
“I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark. And I think I did that.”
Reese provided more insight into her mindset entering Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
“I was hungry,” she stressed.
“I think we let one slip away [Saturday]. You can’t do that. We all came together and were pissed. We felt disappointed, we felt embarrassed. I walked off the court not feeling like myself, and I wanted to make sure that this game, I did everything I could do to walk off the court and feel like who I am.”
Atlanta Dream Tie Up WNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals will now shift to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 before returning to the Bay Area for Game 5. Entering the crucial Game 3, Golden State coach Natalie Nakase has urged her team to cut down on unforced errors and turnovers. To that end, the Dream scored 24 points off 19 Golden State turnovers. They also went to the foul line 16 more times (35 to 16) than the Valkyries — a stat that has bothered Golden State.
“We’re going to see how close these fouls were,” Nakase said of the massive free-throw discrepancy.
“[The Dream] do lunge forward at times. We’ve just got to make sure we take a close look. We have to play harder, No. 1, but we have to play smarter as well.”
Golden State point guard Veronica Burton took responsibility for her team’s turnovers, and vowed to be better in Game 3.
“We were just a little too loose with the ball,” she said.
“It starts with me. I think we had a lot of times where we were hesitant or we weren’t on that same page, and that’s where it led to turnovers.”
Game 3 of the WNBA Finals tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Angel Reese Sends 5-Word Message After Making WNBA Finals History