Angel Reese Says She Wasn't 'Aggressive' Enough in 2nd Half of Dream's WNBA Finals Game 1 Loss

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese wasn't pleased with her second-half performance during the team's 68-64 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals on Saturday.

"I don't think they really did anything, maybe that was just on me," Reese told reporters after the defeat. "I wasn't aggressive enough with the ball and trying to get the ball and get to my spot. So, definitely going to do a better job of that next game."

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Reese scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while shooting 5-of-11 from the field, but committed five fouls and turned the ball over four times in the contest.

She also wasn't able to make her presence felt across the final two quarters of the matchup, as she scored all 14 points in the first half. Reese only attempted two shots after halftime.

Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere only appeared in one playoff game heading into Saturday's action, but spent plenty of time guarding Reese in Game 1.

Amihere recorded five points, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 14 minutes on the floor.

She received praise from Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase for her defense on Reese following the win.

"I thought [Amihere] did a fantastic job with that matchup [on Angel]. LA had great energy; again, she was kind of our insight with this game plan, and so you could tell there was a lot of confidence in her matchup," Nakase said, per SI.com's Grant Young .

"[Amihere] was really key tonight for our success," she added.

As for Reese, her second-half performance was particularly disappointing considering her improved offensive output this year.

She averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field during the regular season before recording 18.0 points per game on 43.3/38.5/87.1 shooting splits in her first five playoff appearances.

While the Dream also have Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard leading their offense, Reese's frontcourt production will be key as Atlanta attempts to avoid a 2-0 series deficit.