WNBA Finals: Dream tie series vs. Valkyries behind electric night from Angel Reese, dominant third quarter

The Atlanta Dream have finally achieved a franchise first: winning a WNBA Finals game. The Dream bounced back to take a 79-65 Game 2 win against the Golden State Valkyries, thanks to the team's dominant third quarter and a stellar night from star forward Angel Reese.Reese, who scored 15 points in the first half, set the tone for Atlanta, and the rest of the team rose to her level. Reese finished with a game-high 30 points and had 16 rebounds, including 12 on defense.While the Dream ran away with it at the end, Game 2 was tight early. Neither team was able to pull more than a two-score lead throughout the entire first half and most of the third quarter.A 12-4 run from Atlanta to close out the second quarter gave the Dream a 39-37 lead at halftime. But they were in early foul trouble, with Rhyne Howard picking up four fouls in the first half, and Reese getting three.Even with the Dream on their heels, the Valkyries seemed in control throughout most of the first half. That changed completely after halftime as Atlanta surged in the third quarter, outscoring the Valkyries 21-9 by drawing fouls and taking advantage of Golden State's sloppy turnovers. Chase Center — affectionately known as "Ballhalla" — which was so rowdy during Game 1 and much of Game 2, went quiet.Angel Reese is FIRED UP 😤Reese comes away with the steal and brings the energy for Atlanta! 🗣️#WNBAonUSA 🏆 | Dream 💭 | Valkyries ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/WJfE1EsGJf— USA Sports (@usasports) October 20, 2026 The Valkyries needed a few minutes in the fourth quarter before they showed some life, but it wasn't enough to overcome the double-digit deficit.Monday saw a much cleaner team effort for the Dream than Game 1, as Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada dropped double digits and Atlanta stayed cool in booming Ballhalla. But the star of the show was Reese, who picked up multiple gritty and-one finishes in the paint and got fired up for her own plays and her teammates'.The second-half collapse was stunning for Golden State, whose shooting went quiet soon after halftime. Gabby Williams, Golden State's hero in Game 1, finished with 14 points, which led the team, along with Tiffany Hayes' 14 off the bench.But the Valkyries' real undoing was the fouls. The Dream scored 30 points off free throws after drawing 23 fouls. The Valkyries had 18 turnovers, though just four more than the Dream; 14 of the 18 were steals, as the Dream found ways to easily intercept weak passes. Howard had six of those steals, setting a WNBA Finals record.The Dream had been to three other WNBA Finals (2010, 2012, 2013), but were swept each time.Now, they're heading back to Atlanta with home-court advantage as they try to win the franchise's first WNBA title.