The Golden State Valkyries ended up clinching Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, beating the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in Game 1 on Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Dream, back in the Finals for the first time since 2013, led 56-51 after three quarters but managed only 8 points in the fourth quarter.
Angel Reese had two very different halves. The Atlanta forward scored all 14 of her points before halftime in her Finals debut, but suffered an abysmal collapse in the second half, going scoreless.
WNBA World Pins the Blame on Angel Reese After a Scoreless Second Half
Reese did not make a shot after halftime, and did not attempt a field goal in the final eight minutes of the game.
The three-time All-Star’s fouls also hurt her team late in the game. The Dream was leading 64-63 when Reese was called for a foul that sent Gabby Williams to the line, who then made both free throws with 1:18 left, and Golden State never looked back.
Despite the 14-point, 12-rebound double-double, Reese also finished the game with 5 fouls and 4 turnovers.
Her second-half disaster drew the ire of those online, as Vince Langman declared, “Angel Reese single-handedly lost Game 1 of the WNBA Finals for Atlanta today, with a truly horrific second half.”
Reese wasn’t the only Dream player who couldn’t score late. Allisha Gray missed all seven of her shots in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that could have put her team ahead.
Atlanta’s shooting struggles were evident across the board, as Rhyne Howard finished 3-of-14 from the field, while Golden State ended the game on a 7-0 run.
Nonetheless, the criticism for Reese continued.
One user downplayed Reese’s first-half performance and dismissed her game outright, writing, “She (expletive) so bad. She wouldn’t start on any boys high school team.”
Another user bluntly posted, “How is Angel Reese a 3-time WNBA All-Star? She literally cannot play basketball. She can stand under the basketball, being a little tall, hacking the [expletive] out of other players, and get some Me-bounds and layups. Horrible player. Lots of defenders on X, btw, but horrible.”
Another hoops account highlighted Reese’s second-half numbers and remarked, “This is why you don’t run victory laps and get so excited for making the Finals.”
The shooting also drew jabs, with both teams combining to shoot 32.4% from the field, the second-lowest mark ever in a Finals game.
After the game, Reese was asked about her second-half struggles and whether the Valkyries had done anything to limit her shots in the second half.
The three-time All-Star took accountability and said, “I don’t think they really did anything. Maybe that was just on me. I wasn’t aggressive enough with the ball and trying to get the ball and get to my spot.”
Reese’s first half looked nothing like her second. She scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first quarter.
Despite the result, there was a silver lining for Reese.
She became the fifth player in league history to score at least 11 points on better than 80% shooting in the first quarter of a Finals game.
Regardless, with Game 2 set to tip off on Monday at Chase Center, Reese and the Dream will look to avoid late-game drop-offs, or they risk falling into a 0-2 hole against Golden State.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.