Angel Reese delivers historic WNBA Finals response after quiet Game 1 finish originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Angel Reese spent the two days between WNBA Finals games with something to prove. She had scored 14 points in Atlanta's Game 1 loss to Golden State, but none came after halftime. When the Dream returned to Chase Center on Monday night, Reese made sure the second half would tell a different story.
Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Atlanta's 79-65 victory over the Valkyries, evening the best-of-seven series at one game apiece. She shot 10-for-16 from the field, added three assists and two blocks, and delivered the kind of performance that changes how an opponent must prepare for the next game.
Reese joined rare WNBA Finals company
The numbers were historic. Reese became just the third player to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones in 2019 and Breanna Stewart in 2020. It was not simply a big scoring night. It was an emphatic response to the way Golden State had contained her late in the opener.
ANGEL REESE HISTORIC GAME 2 👑 She's just the third player in WNBA history with 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game 🔥 https://t.co/VpNOjq5M1h
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 20, 2026
Atlanta needed every part of that response. The Dream entered Monday still seeking the franchise's first Finals victory after going winless across three previous championship-series appearances. Their breakthrough came against a Valkyries team that had won Game 1, 68-64, and carried the energy of a sold-out home crowd.
Reese was not alone. Allisha Gray scored 18 points, Jordin Canada supplied 13 points and 10 assists, and Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals. Atlanta held Golden State to nine points in the third quarter, taking control after a competitive first half.
MORE: Dream breaks unwanted 16-year record in WNBA Finals Game 2 win
Game 3 now looks very different
The series moves to Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday, with the next two contests scheduled for State Farm Arena rather than the Dream's smaller regular home. The larger building provides a bigger stage for a team that has suddenly found its first Finals win.
Golden State still has plenty of reasons to believe it can respond. Gabby Williams scored 26 points in Game 1, and the Valkyries earned their Finals opportunity with a strong postseason run. But they now must answer a different question: how to defend a version of Reese that attacks rather than waits for the game to come to her.
Monday did not decide the championship. It did make one thing clear. Atlanta's best player is prepared to make this a much longer series.