Angel Reese scores season-high 25, but Liberty beat Dream 104-90 for sixth straight win
Angel Reese scored a season-high 25 points Thursday night, but it wasn't enough as the New York Liberty defeated the Atlanta Dream 104-90 to extend their winning streak to six games.
Reese finished 11-of-22 from the field with nine rebounds, but shot just 3-of-6 from the free throw line in a game Atlanta could not afford to leave points on the board. Rhyne Howard added 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting, going 5-of-13 from three-point range with four steals. Allisha Gray chipped in 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jordin Canada struggled throughout, finishing with just three points on 0-of-5 from the field despite dishing seven assists.
For New York, Breanna Stewart posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 35 minutes. Jonquel Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Pauline Astier contributed 16 points and eight rebounds. Marine Johannes added 17 points in 22 minutes. Satou Sabally came off the bench to score 19 points, going 5-of-6 from three-point range.
The Liberty shot 52% from three-point range, connecting on 16 of 31 attempts from beyond the arc, while shooting 86% from the free throw line, going 24-of-28. Atlanta shot just 31% from three and a costly 56% from the free throw line, finishing 15-of-27.
New York jumped out to an early lead, starting the game on an 8-1 run. The Liberty took a 51-44 lead into halftime, capped by a halfcourt three-pointer from Pauline Astier at the buzzer, and extended the lead to 12 late in the third quarter before Atlanta mounted a fourth-quarter run that briefly gave the Dream hope.
A pivotal sequence late in the fourth quarter proved decisive. Reese drove the length of the floor and appeared to complete a layup, but after a coach's challenge the call was overturned — Reese was charged with an offensive foul and a technical foul, swinging momentum firmly back to New York at a moment when Atlanta was making a run.
Smesko acknowledged the call was a significant setback.
"We had some goals coming into the fourth quarter, we were going to get it down to eight by the four-minute mark," Smesko said. "We were on our way, but that call was definitely a setback. We lose two points on the layup, we lose the free throw, they get to go to the other end. That was a tough situation. We never really got to make another serious push at it, but we were competing and trying to get back into it."
Reese was frustrated but composed after the game.
"You can only control what you can control," Reese said. "It was a tough possession because I thought it was a legal position. You gotta move on and just keep pushing. I think my teammates kept me high and lifted. But yeah, it was a tough stretch. We talk about managing emotions better and I think I've just been doing a good job on that and improving on it."
Reese acknowledged the loss stung despite the personal milestone.
"I really wanted this one bad because I knew how much it meant for our standings in the Commissioner's Cup," Reese said. "It was just frustrating because I think I could've done better, especially at the free throw line and on ball screens. I'm just going to look back at film and clean it up."
Gray was hard on herself after finishing 3-of-9 from the free throw line.
"I know I kind of had a slow start, especially from the free throw line, so I was getting in my head a little bit because I just want to help Rhy and Angel out so bad and just relieve pressure from them," Gray said. "But I know tonight I gotta do better from the free throw line. Three for nine, that's unacceptable. I'm kind of hard on myself about that."
Smesko credited the Liberty while pointing to the shooting performances that proved too much to overcome.
"They played really well, they shot it really, really well," Smesko said. "We get to the half and all of a sudden it's a 35-foot three followed by a halfcourt bankshot three. These things start to add up, and you have to try and overcome them. They shot over 50% from three, 85% from the line. All these things add up. I give New York credit today; they were outstanding."
The Dream fall to 8-4 on the season and head out on the road next to face the Toronto Tempo.
