The Atlanta Dream kept their season alive with a 80-69 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in Game 6 of the Finals on Thursday.
Allisha Gray led the Dream with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese chipped in with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Guard Rhyne Howard recorded 21 points, four boards, and four assists on 6-of-11 shooting.
Two-time All-Star Gabby Williams posted 26 points, including 22 in the second half. She scored 10 straight points in the fourth quarter as Golden State attempted to stage a late comeback. Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in a losing cause.
The Dream stormed out to a 32-15 lead after the first quarter on six made 3-pointers, which they parlayed into a 20-point halftime advantage - tied for the fourth largest in WNBA Finals history. Atlanta led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter.
Atlanta shot 12-of-30 from deep and moved to 19-0 this year during the regular season and playoffs when Reese makes one or more 3-pointers.
"Championship mentality. We just wanted to get this one," Reese said postgame.
She added, "We needed the opportunity. That's all we needed, and we maximized it today."
Golden State struggled from the field, finishing 22-of-70 (31%) overall and 7-of-27 (26%) from 3-point range.
The game tipped off at 12:30 p.m. ET due to a scheduling conflict at State Farm Arena with the Atlanta Hawks. The contest was originally slated for 8 p.m. Thursday, the same time as the Hawks' meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The series decider goes Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at the Chase Center in San Francisco. It will be the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history after the format expanded to a best-of-seven series in 2025.
