Angel Reese is making her presence felt on the biggest stage of her young WNBA career. After the Atlanta Dream’s 79-65 Game 2 road win tied the series, the Defensive Player of the Year helped her team take control of the WNBA Finals with another double-double outing against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.
Playing in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Arena, the Dream, led by the three-time All-Star, cruised to a 97-71 Game 3 win. Reese’s performance sparked a wave of reactions across the WNBA world, with fans hyping her impact and some already projecting her to take home Finals MVP.
WNBA World Raves As Angel Reese Powers Dream to Game 3 Finals Win
The Valkyries looked poised throughout much of their postseason run, but the Finals have presented a different challenge.
Reese came into Game 3 locked in, determined to keep attacking after vowing to get more aggressive offensively following Atlanta’s Game 1 loss. She delivered, finishing with a game-high 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals while shooting 7-for-12 from the field. She also knocked down both of her 3-point attempts.
The WNBA’s X account hyped her all-around performance, posting:
“Angel Reese is a GAME CHANGER.”
“Oh, she CLEARS Caitlin Clark,” one Reese fan gushed.
“FINALS MVP LOADING……Angel Shutting The Haters Up,” another supporter added, already looking ahead.
The praise for the 24-year-old kept coming, with one fan writing, “She is balling.”
One post took the Clark comparison a step further, asking, “Angel Reese FMVP before Caitlin Clark makes a conference final???”
Reese’s latest outing followed a historic 30-point performance in Game 2. She has now recorded a double-double in each of her first three career Finals games.
According to ESPN Insights, she is the first player in WNBA history to pull that off. She also joins A’ja Wilson as one of only two players to record back-to-back games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a single Finals.
Reese’s confidence was on full display from the jump in Game 3. After converting an and-one against Aminata Gueye, the former Chicago Sky forward turned and talked a little trash toward the Valkyries’ bench, bringing extra energy to an already lit home crowd.
That said, Atlanta’s Game 3 dominance extended well beyond its star. The Dream shot 49.3% from the field, compared with Golden State’s 34.8%, and outscored the Valkyries 44-20 in the paint.
That edge showed just how hard Atlanta has attacked a defense that had been a major strength throughout Golden State’s postseason run.
With the series now at 2-1, the Dream have a chance to move within one win of the championship in Game 4, which will again take place at State Farm Arena on Saturday. Reese and her teammates will look to make their home-court advantage count once more, while the Valkyries will try to avoid falling into a 3-1 deficit.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.