Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard lead a 97-71 rout as Atlanta takes a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals
ATLANTA — For two quarters, the Valkyries hung around. They trailed by eight after one, won the second 25-23 and went into the locker room down six. Then Atlanta remembered it was playing at home.
The Dream outscored Golden State 51-31 after halftime and won Game 3 of the WNBA Finals 97-71 on Wednesday night. Atlanta leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Angel Reese did what she’s been doing all series. She scored 21 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, made both of her 3-pointers and all five of her free throws, and came away with three steals. Rhyne Howard added 16 points and five steals. Naz Hillmon gave Atlanta 15 off the bench, and Isobel Borlase added 12. Jordin Canada ran the show with 10 points and eight assists.
The numbers that mattered were in the paint and on the turnovers. Atlanta scored 44 points inside to Golden State’s 20. The Valkyries turned it over 17 times, and the Dream turned those into 22 points. Atlanta led by as many as 26.
Golden State never led.
Gabby Williams scored 15 and handed out eight assists, but she needed 18 shots to get there. Tiffany Hayes scored 14. Cecilia Zandalasini hit four 3-pointers for 13 points, and Janelle Salaun added 13 more. The Valkyries made 12 threes, which kept it close for a while. They made just 12 shots inside the arc all night.
It’s a long series, and this team swept Las Vegas in the semifinals. But the Valkyries have now lost two straight to a Dream team that has figured out where the ball goes when it matters: to Reese, near the rim, again and again.
Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta at 10 a.m. Pacific. Game 5 comes home to the Bay on Monday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m.
Photo: Rhyne Howard in September 2026. Photo by Zafer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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