By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
After fighting back in the series to force Game 7 of the WNBA Finals, Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream came up short in a 68-63 back-and-forth loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday night.
After leading 30-24 at halftime, Atlanta was outscored 21-14 in the third quarter and found itself trailing by two possessions late. Reese came up with a clutch offensive rebound with 18 seconds remaining but missed the first of her two free throws to leave Golden State with a 66-61 lead. It was her only shot attempt of the fourth quarter.
The Dream grabbed a steal off the ensuing inbound and earned another trip to the line to cut the lead down to three. They then forced a jump ball on their offensive side of the court but could not corral the tip-off, and Valkyries guard Veronica Burton iced the game with two successful free throws.
Reese finished the season finale with eight points and 12 rebounds, coming up four points short of tying LSU legend Sylvia Fowles’s Finals record of five double-doubles. She was 3-of-7 from the field, 1-of-3 from the line and 1-of-3 from three-point land. The Defensive Player of the Year also had two blocks and a steal but recorded one assist to four turnovers. Her seven shot attempts tied for her fewest in a game all season. It was the Dream’s first loss this season when Reese made a three-pointer.
The “Bayou Barbie” finished her first career Finals appearance averaging 14.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, three assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks. She shot 40.5% (34-of-84) from the field, 42.8% (6-of-14) from three and 70.7% on free throws (29-of-41).
Golden State guard Gabby Williams set a Finals record with 28 points in the second half after scoring just two in the first half. She was named WNBA Finals MVP after averaging 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals across the seven-game series.
The Dream is now 0-4 in the WNBA Finals. Atlanta reached the championship series in 2010, 2011 and 2013 but were swept in all three appearances.
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