The Atlanta Dream is starting to find the next gear that Head Coach Karl Smesko has hinted was coming for weeks.

Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray scored 29 points each, and Angel Reese set a franchise rebound record to lead the Dream past Connecticut, 104-69, on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“I think we're definitely finding it,” Naz Hillmon said of that extra gear. “I think that there's been spurts for us throughout this season where we've kind of seen it, and then sometimes we take a couple of steps back. So, we're really going to be able to see that once we get to the final game if we were able to kick it in.”

Howard and Gray combined to hit 15 of their 23 shots, including 9 of 13 3-pointers, and 19 of 21 free throws. Gray tied her season high for points.

“Looking for quick, easy shots really got me going,” Howard said. “Obviously, my teammates, once they realized I was hot, kept feeding me, and kept going off the ball screens.”

It was Atlanta’s (21-12) largest margin of victory this season and its second consecutive blowout victory with 11 games remaining in the regular season. The next is a big one against Indiana on Sunday at State Farm Arena.

The Dream filled up its box score against Connecticut: 45 rebounds, 19 assists, eight steals, and a season-high nine blocks. Defensively, Connecticut’s 30% shooting was the lowest allowed by the Dream this season. Offensively, the team hit a season-high 53.8% (14 of 26) of its 3-pointers.

“Defense gives us the confidence to get easy looks after their turnovers or their mistakes,” Howard said. “Defense was the key tonight.”

Reese broke the Dream’s record for rebounds in a single season when she pulled her sixth of the game, and 375th of the season, with 2:23 remaining in the second quarter. Reese broke the mark previously set by Tina Charles in 2024.

It was another positive moment in a half full of them for the Dream, which used crisp ball movement to build a 51-32 lead at halftime. Howard scored 23 and Gray 12 in the half. Eleven of the Dream’s 15 field goals were assisted. The only lowlight was Bri Jones was forced to leave because of a left leg injury.

The lead grew to 30 on another Howard 3-pointer with 6:19 remaining in the third quarter. It surpassed 35 on a 3-pointer by Jordin Canada with 5:12 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Smesko said Sunday’s game is important because so many teams are bunched in the standings. The Dream is fourth and the Fever is fifth in the overall standings, and first and second in the East.

“It’s a big game,” he said. “Indiana’s playing pretty well, and we’re playing pretty well, too.”