Dream tie Finals behind Angel Reese's 30 points, 16 rebounds - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — Angel Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds, Allisha Gray added 18 points, and the Atlanta Dream stymied Golden State on both ends in the second half, beating the Valkyries 79-65 on Monday night to even the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at one game apiece.

Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals, while Jordin Canada contributed 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Dream earned the franchise's first Finals victory after going winless in three previous trips — 0-10 overall. They now head home having salvaged a split in front of the boisterous Ballhalla crowd at Chase Center.

«This environment is tough to play in. Shoutout to the fans. Shoutout my team, though,» Reese said. «We came and fought. I mean, that Game 1 was tough for us. But we moved on.»

Reese became the third player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones for Connecticut in 2019 and Breanna Stewart for Seattle in 2020. At 24 years and 166 days, she is the youngest player in WNBA history with a game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Finals.

«She was definitely way more aggressive, she had a great game,» Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said. «We let everyone kind of have their way.»

Game 3 is Wednesday in Atlanta, where the next two matchups were moved to the Hawks' State Farm Arena so more fans could attend. It holds more than 17,000, as opposed to the Dream's regular home, Gateway Center Arena, which accommodates only 3,500.

Chase Center holds 18,064 and has sold out every game since the Valkyries began playing last year.

Gabby Williams finished with 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting after she was the only Golden State player to score in double figures with 26 points in Saturday's 68-64