ATLANTA — The Atlanta Dream put together their best offensive performance in franchise history on Saturday, riding a dominant third quarter to a 113-96 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at a sold-out State Farm Arena. The victory completed a home-and-home sweep of Indiana in just three days and marked Atlanta’s third straight win.
Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 24 points, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Allisha Gray added 22, Naz Hillmon chipped in 19, and Angel Reese rounded out a balanced Atlanta attack with 18 points — but it was a different number that defined her night.
Reese Makes History
With her sixth rebound of the game, Angel Reese became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, hitting the milestone in just 79 games. She finished with eight boards on the night, eclipsing the previous record holder, Tina Charles, who needed 89 games to get there.
It was a fitting moment in front of 17,044 fans — a sellout crowd at State Farm Arena, the NBA Hawks’ home venue, where Atlanta is playing five games this season as an alternative to its usual Gateway Center Arena in College Park.
A Game of Two Halves
The opening quarter belonged to Indiana. Clark and the Fever raced out to a 37-30 lead, with Kelsey Mitchell scoring 16 of her game-high first-half points before the break and knocking down a pair of first-half 3-pointers. Clark matched her with 15 points of her own over the opening 20 minutes, shooting efficiently from all over the floor as Indiana shot 61% from the field and 60% from 3-point range in the first half.
Atlanta found its footing late in the second quarter, cutting an 11-point deficit down to three points by halftime despite shooting just 45% from the floor. Indiana carried a 59-56 lead into the locker room — but the tide was about to turn.
Coming out of the break, the Fever briefly extended their lead to five before Atlanta exploded. The Dream opened the third quarter on a 13-0 run, fueled by six points from Reese, to seize their first lead since the opening period. Howard punctuated the surge with a 3-pointer to put Atlanta up 73-65. By the time the quarter ended, Atlanta had outscored Indiana 28-15, flipping a three-point halftime deficit into an 84-74 lead heading to the fourth.
Jordin Canada was especially effective down the stretch, scoring eight of her 12 points in the third quarter alone and finishing the night with a team-high 12 assists to go with her scoring total.
Fever Couldn’t Find an Answer
Indiana never got the deficit back into single digits in the fourth quarter. Howard opened the final period with another 3-pointer, and it took the Fever nearly two and a half minutes to even get on the board in the quarter. Atlanta’s lead ballooned to as many as 20 points in the final minutes before the Dream closed it out, 113-96.
Clark fought to keep Indiana within shouting distance for as long as she could, scoring 23 of her game-high 26 points through the first three quarters on an efficient 10-of-14 shooting before finishing 11-of-18 from the field with three 3-pointers. It wasn’t enough to slow an Atlanta team that had all five starters score in double figures.
Kelsey Mitchell finished with 16 points, while Aliyah Boston and Sophie Cunningham each added 13. Boston also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds for Indiana, which is now 9-7 on the season and has dropped two straight — both to Atlanta — after a four-game win streak.
Key Performers
Atlanta Dream
- Rhyne Howard — 24 points, 4-for-4 from 3-point range, 8-for-8 from the free-throw line
- Allisha Gray — 22 points
- Naz Hillmon — 19 points
- Angel Reese — 18 points, 8 rebounds; fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds (79 games)
- Jordin Canada — 12 points, 12 assists
Indiana Fever
- Caitlin Clark — 26 points (team-high), 11-of-18 shooting, 3 made 3-pointers
- Kelsey Mitchell — 16 points
- Aliyah Boston — 13 points, game-high 9 rebounds
- Sophie Cunningham — 13 points
What’s Next
Atlanta (11-4) has now won five of its last six games and hosts the Toronto Tempo on Monday night, looking to keep climbing the Eastern Conference standings. Indiana (9-7) returns home to host the Phoenix Mercury, also on Monday, as the Fever look to snap their skid and shore up their position in the playoff race, where they currently sit seventh.
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