Dream Wins Fifth Straight Behind Reese’s Record-Setting Night
Angel Reese’s decimation of the Atlanta Dream record books continued in a 98-89 victory over Seattle on Friday at Gateway Center Arena.
Reese set the franchise record for offensive rebounds (137) when she grabbed her sixth in the fourth quarter. Teammate Bri Jones previously held the season record. The Dream (18-10) has 16 regular-season games remaining in which Reese can extend the mark.
“I’m just trying to do my job,” Reese said. “Honestly, every night I just want to come out, just be consistent for my team, and give them opportunities, just to get a second chance.”
That rebound was one of 13 Reese grabbed, to go along with a team-high 21 points, for her 19th double-double through 28 games.
Oh, and Reese hit two 3-pointers, another first for her this season, to lead the Dream to its fifth consecutive win.
“These are shots that we work on every single day,” Reese said. “It obviously always doesn't show up right away when you want it to, but it feels good for the small win.”
Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said they’ve worked on breaking down her shot while watching film, and he thought her release looked comfortable on Friday. Reese drained several 3-pointers from various spots around the arc during warm-ups.
Reese wasn’t the only standout in the frontcourt.
Naz Hillmon, the other half of what Reese described as the “Thunder Twins,” scored 18 points, and Jones, a “Thunder Triplet,” Reese said, had 14. In the backcourt, Jordin Canada scored 10, Rhyne Howard nine, and Jaylyn Sherrod seven.
The Dream didn’t shoot well (38.5%) from the field but hit 34 of 39 (87.2%) free throws. Atlanta’s defense forced Seattle to miss 18 of its 23 3-pointers.
One more notable stat: Smesko could move into third in franchise history in wins when the team hosts Las Vegas on Monday at State Farm Arena.
Atlanta, on the strength of 17 second-chance points, built as much as a 17-point lead, which was cut to seven to start the fourth quarter.
Reese drilled a 3-pointer, raising her arms in triumph after it swished, giving the Dream a 10-point lead seconds into the final period.
Poor ball-handling on the Dream's next two possessions helped Seattle reduce the lead to five.
Reese stepped up by hitting another 3-pointer, and Canada added a layup to push the lead back to 10, 76-66.
“There was a point in the game where it might have gotten to four points, and we were able to pick it back up and stretch it back out to 10,” Hillmon said. “It just shows that when we're on, we're on, and we can really get it going quickly.”
Reese grabbed her historic rebound and hit the layup to increase the Dream’s advantage to 11, 83-72, with 4:51 left.
The Dream’s lead was cut to 92-88 with 43 seconds left. Free throws by Allisha Gray gave the Dream a six-point lead with 30 seconds left, which it saw out.
Smesko said he didn’t think the game was comfortable until the last 10 seconds.
“We have the makings of a great team, but the best teams do it for longer periods of time,” Smesko said. “We’re getting better. Every team is getting better. If you aren’t getting better, you’re getting left behind. We have one more big step left to take, and we’re capable of taking it.”
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