Atlanta Dream won their first ever game in the WNBA Finals as they beat the Golden State Valkyries 79-65 to level the series at 1-1.
Angel Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Dream condemned the Valkyries to a defeat in front of their fans in San Francisco.
The Georgia franchise held a 39-37 half-time lead and took control of the match in a 13-minute spell spanning the third and fourth quarter, adding 30 points while only conceding eight in return.
Reese scored nine of her points in that period and becomes only the third player to reach 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals series, following Jonquel Jones in 2019 and Breanna Stewart in 2020.
The 24-year-old, who is in her first season with the Dream after being traded from the Chicago Sky, is also the youngest player to reach the landmark in a WNBA post-season match.
“She just came out on a mission tonight,” said defensive guard Allisha Gray of her team-mate.
The Dream had lost the match of the series 68-64 on Saturday, and Reese – the league’s defensive player of the year – said she was keen to make amends for her performance in that game.
“I let my team down last game, not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” said Reese.
“I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark. And I think I did that.
“I was hungry, I think we let one slip away [on Saturday]. You can’t do that. We felt disappointed, we felt embarrassed.
“I walked off the court not feeling like myself, and I wanted to make sure that, this game, I did everything I could do to walk off the court and feel like who I am.”
The Dream had previously had a record of zero wins and 10 defeats in the Finals, following 3-0 series defeats in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
After two matches in California, the best-of-seven series now switches to Atlanta, where games three and four will be played on Thursday, 22 October and Saturday, 24 October.
