The key facts

  • The Dream won 79:65 and evened the series 1:1 after losing the first game
  • Angel Reese: 30 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
  • Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes scored 14 points each for the Valkyries

The Dream even the series

The Atlanta Dream defeated the Golden State Valkyries 79:65 in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals series, played on Monday at Chase Center, and evened the best-of-seven series at 1:1. In the first game, held on Saturday, Golden State won.

Reese dominates

The star of the game was Angel Reese — a three-time WNBA All-Star and the reigning Defensive Player of the League. She scored 30 points, and also recorded 16 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. After the game, Reese said in an on-court interview: “I just do whatever it takes to win. It’s hard to play here — shoutout to the fans and my team, we came out and fought. The first game was tough for us, but we turned the page and got back to who we are.”

Support and opponents

Reese got offensive help from Alisha Gray with 18 points and Jordin Canada with 13 points. For the Valkyries, the hero of the first game, Gabby Williams, was limited to 14 points, while Tiffany Hayes added 14 more.

What’s next and series stakes

The series moves to Atlanta: Game 3 takes place on Wednesday, Game 4 on Friday. Neither team has ever won a WNBA title: the Dream have lost three Finals, most recently in 2013. The Valkyries last season became the first expansion team in league history to make the playoffs in their debut season, and are now chasing a title in just their second year of existence.