Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese's regular-season finale against the New York Liberty was limited to 17 minutes on Wednesday, Sept. 23, after being on the receiving end of a Flagrant 1 foul by Sabrina Ionescu.
With 5.6 seconds remaining in the first half of the Dream's 83-65 blowout win, Ionescu caught Reese in the face with an inadvertent elbow that caused Reese to clutch her face. An offensive foul was initially called on Ionescu, but the contact was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul by referees after a review.
Reese was awarded two free throws, which she knocked down before heading back to the locker room early. Reese returned to the bench with 6:19 remaining in the third quarter, but didn't check back into the game. The Dream, however, kept their
foot on the gas to defeat the Liberty and clinch the No. 4 seed in the playoffs to secure homecourt advantage. They've recorded their second consecutive 30-win season.
The injury shouldn't affect Reese's playoff availability, either, her coach said after the game. Reese is set to make her first playoff appearance of her WNBA career.
Dream head coach Karl Smesko said Reese "was cleared" to reenter the game by the medical staff, but he wanted to play it safe with the postseason getting underway in four days. "We made a decision that it would be smarter for her to sit out the second half," Smesko said in his postgame interview.
Sabrina Ionescu is charged with a flagrant 1 after this inadvertent elbow against Angel Reese.#WNBAonUSA | Dream 💭 | Liberty 🗽 pic.twitter.com/Xdo2QtbO1F
— USA Sports (@usasports) September 24, 2026
Reese finished with six points (2-of-7 FG, 0-of-1 3PT), six rebounds, three assists and three steals to cap a record-breaking season.
The LSU product is averaging a double-double for the third consecutive season, bolstered by a career-high 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals through a career-high 42 games. She leads the league in total rebounds, offensive rebounds (4.8 per game) and double-doubles (32).
Reese became the first player in league history to secure 500 rebounds in a single season on Sept. 19. On Aug. 30, Reese recorded her 29th double-double of the season in the Atlanta Dream's 89-81 win over the Minnesota Lynx, setting a new WNBA single-season double-doubles record. On Aug. 24, during the Dream's 78-71 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, Reese set a WNBA single-game record with 26 total rebounds (18 defensive and eight offensive boards). The same day, Reese also set a new single-season rebounding record with 458 total rebounds.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angel Reese injury update: What we know as Dream star exits early after being hit in face
