Angel Reese etched her name into the WNBA history books, and the Dream turned in one of their most complete performances of the season, as Atlanta closed out the season series with a 107-95 win over Toronto on Monday night at Gateway Center Arena — and Allisha Gray’s goggles were front and center all night long.
Reese Breaks the Single-Season Rebounding Record
With 4:01 left in the third quarter, Reese pulled down her seventh defensive rebound of the night — her 10th of the game overall — to break the WNBA single-season rebounding record previously held by Tina Charles, set in 2024. She finished the night with 20 points and 14 rebounds, marking her 22nd double-double of the season.
That milestone puts Reese seven double-doubles away from tying Alyssa Thomas’ WNBA single-season record of 28, set in 2023 — a mark Reese now has 12 regular-season games left to chase, starting Thursday at Connecticut.
“Hopefully this builds into another good performance a couple of days from now,” Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said.
Goggles Take Over Gateway Center Arena
Before tipoff, the Dream honored Allisha Gray with a giveaway of her signature goggles to fans in attendance — and the tribute didn’t stop at the concourse. Smesko coached the entire game in a black T-shirt featuring Gray’s image, topped off with a pair of her signature goggles perched on his head.
Gray made sure the night lived up to the hype, leading Atlanta with eight first-quarter points and finishing with 15 on the night.
“I’m loved here in Atlanta,” Gray said. “Atlanta has made me feel so well about myself. This is a place I definitely want to retire and finish my career playing on the Dream.”
Howard Sets the Pace, Canada and Hillmon Join the Party
Rhyne Howard put together one of the most efficient shooting nights of her career, scoring a team-high 22 points and reaching 100 made 3-pointers this season in just 31 games — the fastest any player has ever hit that mark in WNBA history. She needed only five more triples entering the night and drained six. Her fifth of the game, and the record-breaker, came with 4:17 remaining in the fourth quarter as Atlanta pulled away for good.
“Rhy hit some big 3s in the fourth to separate things and we were able to close it out,” Smesko said.
Jordin Canada added her own piece of history, scoring 20 points and crossing the 2,500-point mark for her career on a free throw with 2:54 left in the third quarter. Naz Hillmon chipped in 11 points and notched her 100th career steal, while Bri Jones came off the bench to score 15 — giving the Dream six players in double figures.
“I think my teammates, they have my back,” Jones said. “They know what I’m capable of, but it feels good today to be able to get out there and contribute a little bit more.”
Atlanta Finds Its Shot After a Rough Night in Washington
After a cold shooting night in Friday’s loss at Washington, the Dream came out sharp against Toronto, finishing the game at 51.4% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc.
“We took good shots, we took the shots we wanted,” Smesko said.
Atlanta controlled the game from the opening tip, taking a 24-22 lead after one quarter before exploding for 57.1% shooting in the second to build a 54-39 halftime advantage, with Reese pacing the Dream at the break with eight points and five rebounds.
The Dream turned it up even further out of the locker room, stretching the lead to 20 points on a Reese 3-pointer, followed by a Canada free-throw-and-three combo that pushed the margin to 25 just minutes into the third quarter. Toronto never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Looking Ahead
With the sweep of Toronto complete, Atlanta shifts its focus to Connecticut on Thursday, where Reese will look to keep her record-setting pace alive as the Dream push through the final stretch of the regular season.
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