Quick recap: close but not enough
Angel Reese cooked up a season-best 25 points and grabbed nine boards, but the Atlanta Dream couldn’t overcome a red-hot New York Liberty. The Liberty kept their momentum rolling with a 104-90 victory, running their win streak to six games. If this were a TV show, New York would be on an emotional montage while Atlanta is cleaning out the guest room.
Scoreboard snapshots and standout nights
Reese put on a show offensively (11 of 22 from the floor) but left a few points behind at the charity stripe, going 3 of 6 on free throws. Rhyne Howard added 24 points and played pesky perimeter defense with four steals, while Allisha Gray chipped in 18. Jordin Canada had an off night scoring but still found her teammates with seven assists.
Liberty’s firepower
New York shot lights-out from deep — hitting 16 of 31 attempts — and crushed the free-throw line at 24 of 28. Breanna Stewart paced the team with a double-double (19 points, 11 rebounds), Jonquel Jones finished with 16 and 10, Pauline Astier poured in 16 and nailed a buzzer-beating halfcourt three at the break, and Marine Johannes and Satou Sabally supplied efficient scoring off the bench.
The turning point (aka the moment the Dream’s comeback hit a speed bump)
Atlanta clawed back in the fourth and things were getting spicy. Then a late play swung the momentum: Reese drove and looked to finish, but after a coach’s challenge the officials called an offensive foul and tacked on a technical. Instead of trimming the gap, the Dream watched New York extend it — the kind of referee wrinkle that makes coaches reach for their stress balls.
Coach and player reactions (keeping it real)
Coach Tanisha Smesko admitted the overturned play was a tough pill to swallow; it derailed a planned comeback and cost valuable points. Reese, shaken but philosophical, said she’d move on, focus on keeping emotions in check and fix the little things when she studies the tape. Gray was blunt about her own struggles at the line and vowed to do better.
The hard truths
Smesko gave credit where it’s due: the Liberty shot exceptionally well and that’s hard to beat. When an opponent is draining threes and rarely missing free throws, games snowball fast. Atlanta fell short despite fighting spirit and now sits 8-4 heading into their next road trip.
What’s next?
The Dream pack their bags for an away matchup against Toronto, hoping to regroup and clean up the free-throw and late-game execution issues. Meanwhile, New York will enjoy the win — and maybe practice their celebratory dances — as they look to keep the streak alive.
