Howard, Reese Reach Milestones as Dream Fall to Liberty 104-90

The Atlanta Dream had plenty of individual milestones to celebrate Thursday night.

Unfortunately, they came in a loss.

Despite historic performances from Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese, the Dream fell 104-90 to the New York Liberty at Gateway Center Arena in a game that likely ended Atlanta’s hopes of advancing to the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game.

The loss drops the Dream to 8-4 overall and 3-2 in Commissioner’s Cup play, while the Liberty improved to 4-0 in the tournament standings.

New York showcased why it remains one of the WNBA’s elite teams, shooting 54 percent from the field and an impressive 51.6 percent from three-point range.

“They hit every shot,” Reese said. “When you hit 50 percent from three and 50 percent from the field, it makes it tougher to win.”

The Liberty’s 104 points marked the most scored against Atlanta this season.

Still, the Dream battled throughout the night behind the play of Howard and Reese.

Howard continued adding to her growing list of accomplishments early in the game.

With her first made three-pointer of the night, she became the youngest player in WNBA history to make 400 career three-pointers. Howard reached the milestone in just 147 games, shattering the previous record for the fewest games needed to hit 400 career threes.

Later in the contest, Howard reached another milestone.

Her 20th point of the night moved her into fourth place on the Atlanta Dream’s all-time scoring list with 2,528 career points, passing franchise legend Erika de Souza.

Howard finished with 24 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals while knocking down a team-high five three-pointers.

Reese delivered one of her strongest offensive performances of the season.

The second-year star scored a season-high 25 points while adding nine rebounds and three assists. Although her streak of five consecutive double-doubles came to an end, Reese continued to dominate offensively while attacking the basket throughout the night.

“I really wanted this one bad for the Commissioner’s Cup,” Reese said. “Career highs don’t matter when you lose.”

Allisha Gray added 18 points while Naz Hillmon chipped in seven points and three assists. Jordin Canada finished with three points, seven assists and two steals.

The game remained competitive for much of the first half.

Atlanta used a 10-2 run to open the second quarter and build a 29-23 lead. The stretch showcased the Dream’s ability to create transition opportunities and push the pace against one of the league’s top teams.

However, New York responded with a barrage of timely three-pointers.

The Liberty closed the half with back-to-back deep threes, including a remarkable 53-footer from Pauline Astier at the halftime buzzer after Marine Johannes connected from 26 feet on the previous possession.

Despite being outrebounded 25-11 in the first half, Atlanta trailed by only three points entering the locker room.

“We’d make a run, and they’re making a couple tough, tough threes, and these things start to add up, and you have to try and overcome them, but at some point it becomes too much,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said.

The game ultimately turned during the third quarter.

New York caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down six of its eight three-point attempts in the period. Back-to-back threes from Satou Sabally highlighted a decisive 16-3 run that helped the Liberty build an 80-62 advantage.

Atlanta simply could not keep pace.

The Dream struggled from three-point range throughout the game, connecting on just 9-of-29 attempts, while also leaving valuable points at the free-throw line. Atlanta shot 15-of-27 from the stripe and was outrebounded 40-24 overall.

Those extra possessions proved costly.

Smesko said the coaching staff hoped to trim the deficit to eight points by the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter and give themselves a chance to make a late push.

For a moment, it looked possible.

The Dream opened the fourth quarter aggressively, cutting the lead to 80-69 behind quick baskets from Gray and a strong defensive effort from Canada.

Then came one of the game’s pivotal moments.

Canada stripped Jonquel Jones and found Reese in transition. Reese converted the basket while drawing contact and appeared to have a chance to cut the Liberty lead to eight.

Instead, after an official review, Reese was assessed an offensive foul and technical foul. The basket was erased, and Breanna Stewart converted a free throw on the other end to push New York’s lead back to 81-69.

“I felt like we were onto something,” Smesko said. “That was definitely a setback. You’ve just got to try to make another run, and we never really got to make another serious push at it.”

While the result was disappointing, Atlanta continued to show growth offensively with all five starters scoring in double figures.

The Dream also remained competitive despite facing one of the league’s most talented rosters on a night when New York’s outside shooting was nearly impossible to slow down.

Atlanta’s starting lineup of Canada, Gray, Howard, Hillmon and Reese now sits at 8-3 together this season.

The Dream also improved their Commissioner’s Cup charitable contribution total to $11,000 raised for The King Center.

Next up, Atlanta heads north of the border for a road matchup against the Toronto Tempo on Sunday in Ontario. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET as the Dream look to bounce back and close out their week with a win.