Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series between the No. 4-seed Atlanta Dream and No. 8-seed New York Liberty was a bloodbath.
A contest saw 17 lead changes couldn’t be decided in regulation, ending with a down-to-the-wire overtime finish.
When push came to shove, the Dream were just a bit more resilient, outexecuting the Liberty to come out on top, 101-98. Now they have a commanding 2-0 lead—and are still undefeated in the postseason—and are just one victory away from a WNBA Finals appearance.
The Dream
squeaking out this win signals growth. Last year, they’d likely lose this kind of game instead of finding a way to come out victorious.
But now they are a year older and wiser—and they have Angel Reese. Angel explained after the game:
Our team is super fearless, and being in moments like this, we always talk about adversity builds character.
And I think all of us have been in a situation in our life where we felt like it was a last possession, or our backs were against the wall in some sort, and all of us were saying ‘just one more, just one more, just one more.’ And I think we did a great job making sure that we were all on a connected string, and we just stayed together and played together, and that’s how we won it.
All game long, the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year was magnificent.
She finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and a team-best plus-minus of +11. Down the stretch, she was perfect. She didn’t miss a shot in overtime, converting on her two field goals and going 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
Reese’s free throws were as crucial as they come. Atlanta led by just one with 4.3 seconds left when she took them. Thanks to those makes, it became a three-point game, forcing the Liberty to attempt a desperation 3-pointer to extend the contest.
New York failed to make the 3-pointer as Breanna Stewart missed the game’s last shot. And who was challenging that jumper? Reese. After the miss, Angel flexed and celebrated with her teammates.
Meanwhile, ESPN broadcaster Ryan Ruocco wondered why the Liberty didn’t call for a timeout to advance the ball.
Postgame, Stewart explained what happened at the end from her perspective:
This is not blaming the refs, but when I ask both refs if we have a reset timeout at the end, and they tell us ‘no,’ and then we leave the game with a reset timeout, it’s pretty frustrating.
To win a title requires skill and luck. If Stewart is right and there was miscommunication with the officials, then Atlanta got lucky there, and that’s also part of the game.
In the postgame pool report, the crew chief Fatou Cissoko-Stephens disputed Stewart, suggesting that ref Kevin Fahy indicated to her that New York did have a reset timeout. Per The Athletic’s Annie Costabile, New York has “filed an inquiry to the league to review the call.”
Regardless, the Dream, managing the adversity of Allisha Gray’s absence, in addition to their own irritation with some of the officiating crew’s call, put themselves in a position to be ahead, and they took advantage and won.
While Reese was Atlanta’s biggest hero, others stepped up to help snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Every starter scored double-digit points. Naz Hillmon flirted with a double-double. She finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, along with the go-ahead bucket in OT. Rhyne Howard scored 18 points. Isobel Borlase contributed 11 points off the bench.
And last, but certainly not least, was Jordin Canada.
The Dream guard faced even more pressure with her backcourt partner, Gray, out with a hand injury. Canada stepped up and delivered an encore to her outstanding Game 1 performance, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds and eight assists in the win.
No team has ever come back from being down 0-2 in a best-of-five series in the WNBA, and the Dream have the perfect balance of confidence and self-awareness, knowing the job isn’t finished just because they are up 2-0.
Angel emphasized:
New York is a really good team. Yeah, we beat them twice in the regular season at their place, but playing in that environment is not easy. Their backs are against the wall right now, but at the same time, we know they’re going to give everything they have because they have to.
But as long as we continue to be who we are, continue to do the things that have gotten us here, and stick together, I think we’ll be fine.
