Angel Reese didn’t just grab a ton of boards on Monday night, she absolutely shattered a WNBA record, pulling down an insane 26 rebounds, eight of them offensive, as her Atlanta Dream took down the Los Angeles Sparks 78-71. That kind of dominant performance on the glass absolutely buried the Sparks, even with their own stars trying to keep pace. Reese also set the single-season rebounding record for the WNBA in the contest, an absolutely wild night for her.
Sparks’ Early Defense Couldn’t Hold Back the Storm
The game started with Jordin Canada hitting a midrange jumper for Atlanta, but Dearica Hamby responded with a layup. Early on, neither team could buy a bucket, with the Dream shooting 33% and LA at a brutal 22% from the field. Luckily, the Sparks were playing some solid defense, racking up four steals as a team. Cameron Brink was a real sparkplug off the bench, tallying four points and three blocked shots in the first quarter, proving why fans were hyped about her. “Brick Wall Brink!” indeed. Even with Rhyne Howard leading an 11-2 scoring run for the Dream, LA was only down by five heading into the second quarter. Hamby led the Sparks with three points at that point, while Allisha Gray had five for Atlanta.
Atlanta’s Runs Erased Sparks’ Lead
The second frame actually started bright for Los Angeles, as they scored five straight to erase that deficit. But Reese put a stop to that quick run with a layup. Hamby was on fire, becoming the first player for either team to hit double figures with 11 points. The Sparks then strung together an 11-3 scoring run to build a six-point lead, showing flashes of what they could be. They were taking care of the ball too, with only three turnovers to Atlanta’s nine. At one point, LA was up by three, shooting 57% from the field in the quarter and outscoring the Dream by nine points in the frame. Despite Reese and Howard only having eight and six points respectively by halftime, the purple and gold led by only one. The third quarter, however, was where things really fell apart. Atlanta went on a huge 16-4 scoring run early, taking the lead and never really looking back. Gray led that charge with five points, pushing her total to 16. The Sparks were down by eight with 4:29 left in the third, being outscored 15-6 in the period. Nneka Ogwumike, who responded to a Naz Hillmon layup with a midrange jumper earlier, and Hamby were still the only two Sparks in double figures. Brink continued to be the only bench production for LA, reaching seven points. The Dream were up by seven at the end of the third. “Cam hits the spin move & gets the bounce,” the Sparks tweeted, highlighting another nice play.
The final frame began with Atlanta scoring sev…
The Sparks ultimately lost 78-71. They finished the game with a measly 15 points off the bench, every single one coming from Cameron Brink. Ouch. They also had 11 turnovers, and their shooting percentages were brutal: just 38% from the field and an ice-cold 16% from behind the arc. You can’t win many games when the opposing team’s star sets a WNBA rebounding record and your own team can’t find the bottom of the net. They “heated up in the fourth period,” the article says, but it was too little, too late.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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