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Reporting from CHASE CENTER
After Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals, Angel Reese said she needed to be more aggressive.
In Game 2, she delivered.
Reese finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds as the Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 Monday night, evening the series at a game apiece and handing the franchise its first Finals win in 11 tries.
Reese said she felt she wanted to leave her mark on Game 2:
“I think I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half. … I think I did that today.”
At 24, Reese became the youngest player to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a WNBA postseason game, and just the third to do it in the Finals.
Golden State’s offense couldn’t generate enough made shots in the second half, and the Valkyries turned the ball over a season-high 19 times. Atlanta turned those into 24 points.
Two nights after scoring 26, Gabby Williams was held to 14 points on 3-of-15 shooting, tied with Tiffany Hayes for the team high. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said nights like that happen:
“I thought her looks were the same as usual. She just missed.”
Even with the early Monday tipoff, Ballhalla was raucous from the start — perfect for Kiah Stokes, who threw a block party early. The Golden State center had a pair of rejections in the first five minutes.
The Valkyries bench carried the offense in the first quarter, providing 11 of the team’s 21 points. Kaila Charles, who scored seven in Game 1, went 2-of-2 from 3-point range in the period.
Reese’s aggression looked like it might cost her when she picked up her third foul with 4:57 left in the second quarter, and Rhyne Howard followed with her fourth 43 seconds later. Atlanta was unfazed, scoring 10 unanswered to turn a six-point deficit into a four-point lead.
DeWanna Bonner’s 18-footer with 3.9 seconds left sent the Dream into halftime up 39-37 in another tight first half: 12 lead changes, 11 ties and 16 points in the paint apiece.
The third quarter opened at a frantic pace with just one basket in the teams’ first 10 combined attempts. Then Atlanta took over, winning the quarter 21-9 while going 12-of-12 from the line; Golden State didn’t attempt a free throw in the period. Jordin Canada capped it with a 32-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 60-46 lead.
Canada finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Allisha Gray added 18 as Atlanta’s lead reached 21 in the fourth.
Afterward, Valkyries guard Veronica Burton took ownership of her three turnovers, saying the problem starts with her:
“I can’t just be throwing the ball. It’s one of the most important things, taking care of it, and so I think just being organized, all being on the same page, and then in fast break not getting too sped up, being decisive.”
The loss was Golden State’s first at home this postseason.
Up next
The series shifts to State Farm Arena in Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday, with tipoff at 5 p.m. on USA Network and Peacock.
Howard writes a Finals record on defense
Rhyne Howard scored just five points on 2-of-7 shooting but finished with six steals, a WNBA Finals record. Atlanta had 14 as a team; Howard and Bonner became only the second pair of teammates in Finals history with four or more steals in the same game.
The Dream also went 30-of-35 from the line, the best free-throw percentage in a Finals game with 30 or more makes.
Star watch
Bay Area rappers were in the spotlight again Monday as LaRussell performed at halftime. Oakland’s Mistah F.A.B. and Too $hort sat courtside.
Former NBA guard Chris Paul was part of the sold-out crowd, and Warriors Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Yaxel Lendeborg returned two nights before their season opener against the Lakers.
