Angel Reese sets the tone as Atlanta Dream roll past Connecticut Sun 103-59

A steady start turned into a Reese quarter

Atlanta did not need long to show what kind of night this would be. Reese opened the scoring with a layup at 8:46 of the first quarter, and Naz Hillmon followed with a three at 8:07 for a 5-0 lead. Connecticut did answer through Olivia Nelson-Ododa, whose early scoring helped trim the margin to 9-8, but the Dream never gave up control. Te-Hina Paopao’s floater, Allisha Gray’s drive and Hillmon’s second first-quarter three kept Atlanta in front, 22-17, and the game would finish with no lead changes at all.

The second quarter was where Reese stopped looking like one strong performer and started looking like the game’s defining force. She scored at 9:41, 8:18 and 6:20, then added another burst with baskets at 4:59, 3:59, 2:59 and 2:41. By halftime, Atlanta led 45-35, and much of that cushion had Reese’s fingerprints on it. Connecticut stayed within sight because Nelson-Ododa kept finishing efficiently and Ashlon Jackson knocked down a pair of threes, but the Dream were the side stacking reliable possessions.

Even before the break, the difference was not just shot-making. Atlanta’s offense kept producing assisted baskets and shots near the rim, habits that later showed up in the team totals: 30 assists, 56 points in the paint and 51.3 percent shooting overall. Connecticut had moments inside, especially through Nelson-Ododa, yet the Sun were already being asked to work harder for fewer points.

The third quarter turned separation into a rout

If the first half left Connecticut a narrow path back, the third quarter closed it. Atlanta opened the period with a free throw from Rhyne Howard at 9:10, a Jordin Canada layup at 8:50 and back-to-back Gray drives by 7:22, stretching the score to 52-35. Charlisse Leger-Walker finally got the Sun on the board at 7:03, but Reese answered nine seconds later with a short basket, and the Dream kept piling on. Reese hit free throws at 5:47 and even a 23-foot three at 4:31; Hillmon drilled another three at 57.2 seconds; Paopao and Madina Okot added late scores as the quarter ended 76-46.

That run said as much about Atlanta’s support cast as it did about Reese. Howard shot just 3-for-14, but she still mattered everywhere else with 10 points, eight assists and four steals. Gray added 10 points and five assists. Paopao scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, Okot added 10 on 5-of-7, and Hillmon’s nine points all came from behind the arc. When a team gets 30 assists on 39 made field goals, a single cold shooting line does not have to derail the offense.

The fourth quarter became a continuation rather than a reset. Paopao opened it with a three at 9:31, Howard connected from deep at 6:45, and Paopao hit again at 6:08. Atlanta’s depth kept the scoreboard moving after that, with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Indya Nivar and Sika Kone all contributing. The Dream eventually built a 45-point advantage, and even in a game that ended at 103-59, that figure may be the clearest symbol of how completely the evening tilted their way.

Our take: the possession battle was the real headline

Our take: this was a clinic in winning the math of a game before the final total ever became gaudy. Atlanta outshot Connecticut 51.3 percent to 35.4 percent, but the Dream also won the glass 42-28, grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to the Sun’s two, and committed only four turnovers against Connecticut’s 14. That gap fed directly into points off turnovers, 18-2, and helped explain why Atlanta reached 103 without needing a blistering three-point night.

For Connecticut, the useful place to start is not despair but specificity. Nelson-Ododa was excellent in her 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, Saniya Rivers collected nine rebounds and three blocks, and Jackson hit three of her five attempts from deep. The broader problem was balance: the Sun finished 3-for-20 from three, managed only two offensive rebounds and never turned brief interior success into sustained pressure. Finding more consistent perimeter scoring and extending possessions on the glass would at least give the rest of the offense more room to breathe.

For Atlanta, the caution is smaller but still worth noting. The Dream were only 9-for-30 from three, and Howard’s 1-for-9 night from long range shows this was not perfect offense. What made it impressive is that Atlanta did not depend on perfection. The ball kept moving, the paint kept opening, and Reese’s scoring gave the whole structure a center of gravity. That is the encouraging part of a result like this: even with ordinary three-point accuracy, the Dream were disciplined enough to make the game feel one-sided almost from the start.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Quarter · 8:46

   Angel Reese makes layup (Naz Hillmon assists)

2. 1st Quarter · 8:07

   Naz Hillmon makes 25-foot three point jumper (Rhyne Howard assists)

3. 1st Quarter · 7:24

   Charlisse Leger-Walker makes 13-foot pullup jump shot

4. 1st Quarter · 7:17

   Jordin Canada makes free throw 1 of 2

5. 1st Quarter · 6:59

   Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes 11-foot two point shot

6. 1st Quarter · 5:37

   DeWanna Bonner makes 15-foot jumper (Isobel Borlase assists)

7. 1st Quarter · 5:24

   Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes driving layup (Hailey Van Lith assists)

8. 1st Quarter · 5:19

   Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

9. 1st Quarter · 5:09

   Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes free throw 1 of 2

10. 1st Quarter · 5:09

    Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes free throw 2 of 2

11. 1st Quarter · 4:51

    Isobel Borlase makes free throw 1 of 2

12. 1st Quarter · 4:47

    Te-Hina Paopao makes 6-foot driving floating jump shot (Angel Reese assists)

13. 1st Quarter · 3:24

    Allisha Gray makes driving layup (Te-Hina Paopao assists)

14. 1st Quarter · 3:05

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

15. 1st Quarter · 2:48

    Raegan Beers makes 2-foot layup (Ashlon Jackson assists)

16. 1st Quarter · 2:36

    Saniya Rivers makes free throw 1 of 2

17. 1st Quarter · 2:36

    Saniya Rivers makes free throw 2 of 2

18. 1st Quarter · 2:19

    Madina Okot makes 1-foot layup (Allisha Gray assists)

19. 1st Quarter · 2:07

    Saniya Rivers makes 13-foot pullup jump shot

20. 1st Quarter · 1:50

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 1 of 2

21. 1st Quarter · 1:50

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

22. 1st Quarter · 1:18

    Naz Hillmon makes 24-foot three point jumper (Rhyne Howard assists)

23. 1st Quarter · 58.5

    Ashlon Jackson makes 24-foot three pointer (Raegan Beers assists)

24. 2nd Quarter · 9:41

    Angel Reese makes driving layup (Rhyne Howard assists)

25. 2nd Quarter · 9:08

    Rhyne Howard makes 2-foot two point shot

26. 2nd Quarter · 8:50

    Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes 10-foot turnaround jump shot (Ashlon Jackson assists)

27. 2nd Quarter · 8:18

    Angel Reese makes driving layup (Rhyne Howard assists)

28. 2nd Quarter · 8:03

    Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes 17-foot jumper (Saniya Rivers assists)

29. 2nd Quarter · 7:28

    Raegan Beers makes layup (Olivia Nelson-Ododa assists)

30. 2nd Quarter · 7:11

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

31. 2nd Quarter · 7:11

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 2 of 2

32. 2nd Quarter · 6:55

    Jordin Canada makes driving layup

33. 2nd Quarter · 6:20

    Angel Reese makes two point shot

34. 2nd Quarter · 5:46

    Nell Angloma makes free throw 1 of 2

35. 2nd Quarter · 5:46

    Nell Angloma makes free throw 2 of 2

36. 2nd Quarter · 4:59

    Angel Reese makes 1-foot layup (DeWanna Bonner assists)

37. 2nd Quarter · 3:59

    Angel Reese makes running layup (Allisha Gray assists)

38. 2nd Quarter · 3:59

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 1

39. 2nd Quarter · 3:37

    Ashlon Jackson makes 25-foot three point jumper (Gianna Kneepkens assists)

40. 2nd Quarter · 2:59

    Angel Reese makes layup (Allisha Gray assists)

41. 2nd Quarter · 2:41

    Angel Reese makes running layup (Rhyne Howard assists)

42. 2nd Quarter · 1:46

    Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes driving layup

43. 2nd Quarter · 1:46

    Olivia Nelson-Ododa makes free throw 1 of 1

44. 2nd Quarter · 1:23

    Nell Angloma makes running layup (Charlisse Leger-Walker assists)

45. 2nd Quarter · 1:08

    Madina Okot makes layup (Naz Hillmon assists)

46. 2nd Quarter · 27.0

    Nell Angloma makes driving layup (Olivia Nelson-Ododa assists)

47. 3rd Quarter · 9:10

    Rhyne Howard makes free throw 1 of 2

48. 3rd Quarter · 8:50

    Jordin Canada makes running layup

49. 3rd Quarter · 8:27

    Allisha Gray makes driving layup (Rhyne Howard assists)

50. 3rd Quarter · 7:22

    Allisha Gray makes driving layup (Naz Hillmon assists)

51. 3rd Quarter · 7:03

    Charlisse Leger-Walker makes driving layup

52. 3rd Quarter · 6:54

    Angel Reese makes 5-foot two point shot (Jordin Canada assists)

53. 3rd Quarter · 6:32

    Rhyne Howard makes driving layup

54. 3rd Quarter · 5:47

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

55. 3rd Quarter · 5:47

    Angel Reese makes free throw 2 of 2

56. 3rd Quarter · 4:48

    Ashlon Jackson makes 23-foot three point jumper (Raegan Beers assists)

57. 3rd Quarter · 4:31

    Angel Reese makes 23-foot three point jumper (Rhyne Howard assists)

58. 3rd Quarter · 4:06

    Raegan Beers makes 16-foot jumper (Nell Angloma assists)

59. 3rd Quarter · 3:12

    Angel Reese makes two point shot

60. 3rd Quarter · 2:32

    Isobel Borlase makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Angel Reese assists)

61. 3rd Quarter · 2:00

    Madina Okot makes layup (Allisha Gray assists)

62. 3rd Quarter · 1:44

    Aaliyah Edwards makes 14-foot jumper (Hailey Van Lith assists)

63. 3rd Quarter · 1:33

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 1 of 2

64. 3rd Quarter · 1:33

    Allisha Gray makes free throw 2 of 2

65. 3rd Quarter · 1:12

    Aaliyah Edwards makes 12-foot two point shot (Charlisse Leger-Walker assists)

66. 3rd Quarter · 57.2

    Naz Hillmon makes 25-foot three point jumper (Allisha Gray assists)

67. 3rd Quarter · 34.2

    Te-Hina Paopao makes driving layup

68. 3rd Quarter · 6.2

    Madina Okot makes layup (Isobel Borlase assists)

69. 4th Quarter · 9:31

    Te-Hina Paopao makes 24-foot three point jumper (Rhyne Howard assists)

70. 4th Quarter · 9:01

    Aaliyah Edwards makes free throw 2 of 2

71. 4th Quarter · 7:29

    Hailey Van Lith makes driving layup

72. 4th Quarter · 7:14

    Madina Okot makes driving layup (Te-Hina Paopao assists)

73. 4th Quarter · 7:02

    Aaliyah Edwards makes 12-foot step back jumpshot

74. 4th Quarter · 6:45

    Rhyne Howard makes 24-foot three point jumper (Madina Okot assists)

75. 4th Quarter · 6:24

    Saniya Rivers makes 14-foot pullup jump shot (Aaliyah Edwards assists)

76. 4th Quarter · 6:08

    Te-Hina Paopao makes 24-foot three point jumper (Shatori Walker-Kimbrough assists)

77. 4th Quarter · 5:38

    Angel Reese makes free throw 1 of 2

78. 4th Quarter · 5:38

    Angel Reese makes free throw 2 of 2

79. 4th Quarter · 5:14

    Shatori Walker-Kimbrough makes 2-foot layup (Angel Reese assists)

80. 4th Quarter · 4:56

    Sika Kone makes driving layup (Isobel Borlase assists)

81. 4th Quarter · 4:50

    Saniya Rivers makes 16-foot pullup jump shot (Charlisse Leger-Walker assists)

82. 4th Quarter · 4:20

    Indya Nivar makes 25-foot three pointer

83. 4th Quarter · 3:52

    Sika Kone makes 25-foot three point jumper (Shatori Walker-Kimbrough assists)

84. 4th Quarter · 3:09

    Saniya Rivers makes free throw 2 of 2

85. 4th Quarter · 2:53

    Indya Nivar makes driving layup

86. 4th Quarter · 2:37

    Raegan Beers makes layup (Nell Angloma assists)

87. 4th Quarter · 2:37

    Raegan Beers makes free throw 1 of 1

88. 4th Quarter · 1:43

    Shatori Walker-Kimbrough makes driving layup (Sika Kone assists)