Angel Reese posted 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Atlanta Dream to a 97-71 victory over the Golden State Valkyries and a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals. Game 4 takes place on Saturday.
Rhyne Howard added 16 points and Naz Hillmon had 15 for the Dream, who host the next game in the best-of-seven series.
It was a second straight strong game for Reese, who had 30 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2, the Dream’s first-ever Finals victory. She becomes the first player in WNBA history to record a double-double in her first three Finals games.
Dream take control in the third quarter
With the game level at 49-49 in the third quarter, Atlanta scored eight straight points, including four by Reese. Golden State got within 59-55 on Tiffany Hayes’ layup but could get no closer, as Atlanta closed the quarter by scoring 12 of the final 14 points.
Atlanta have dominated the third quarter in the series, outscoring Golden State 63-35 combined across the three games.
With Atlanta up 17 in the fourth quarter, Jordin Canada overthrew Reese on the break. Reese saved the ball by throwing it over her head underneath the basket to Howard, who was fouled.
Golden State never recovered. Gabby Williams scored 15 points and Hayes added 14 for the Valkyries.
Game moves to a bigger arena
The game was originally scheduled for Thursday at the Gateway Center Arena, where the Dream play most of their home games. The league worked with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena to stage the next two games of the championship series there in front of a much bigger crowd. Gateway seats only 3,500, while State Farm Arena can seat more than 17,000 fans.
Wednesday night’s game sold out, as has Game 4 on Saturday, which will also be played at State Farm Arena.
Slow start gives way to hot shooting
The game started slowly, with Atlanta leading 9-1 after the first five minutes. Golden State missed its first eight shots before Aminata Gueye scored the Valkyries’ first basket with 4:39 left in the quarter. Golden State got within 13-10 before Hillmon hit consecutive three-pointers and Reese hit one as well. The Dream led 23-15 after the opening quarter.
The hot three-point shooting continued in the second quarter, and Atlanta built its lead to 37-26 midway through the period. Golden State hung around and trailed only 46-40 at the break. The teams combined to shoot 15-for-31 (48 per cent) from behind the arc, producing more made three-pointers in the first 20 minutes than in either Game 1 or Game 2.