The Atlanta Dream just snatched a wild 101-98 overtime victory against the New York Liberty on Wednesday night, pushing them to a commanding 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals. This wasn’t just any win, it was an absolute slugfest that went down to the wire, and it puts the Dream within a single game of their first WNBA Finals appearance since way back in 2013.
Overtime Mayhem and Clutch Plays
Overtime was pure chaos, and the Dream just played it perfectly. Naz Hillmon dropped the go-ahead layup with a mere 20.8 seconds left, giving Atlanta the edge they needed. Angel Reese was everywhere, scoring six of the Dream’s 13 points in the extra period. Talk about clutch! She then iced the game with two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, after Sabrina Ionescu overthrew a pass for the Liberty. Reese finished the night with 23 points, matching Jordin Canada, who also racked up 23 points and dished out eight assists. These two were just relentless.
Regulation Drama: How Did It Even Get To OT?!
Man, regulation was something else. The Dream held an 86-80 lead with under two minutes left, and you thought they had it locked up. But the Liberty, led by Breanna Stewart who dropped a massive 35 points (25 in the first half!), weren’t going down without a fight. Ionescu hit a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit, then an Atlanta shot clock violation with 31 seconds left opened the door even wider. Stewart capitalized, hitting a quick layup to make it 86-85. Reese then calmly hit two free throws after a New York foul, pushing Atlanta up 88-85 with 14.5 seconds left. But Marine Fauthoux answered right back, knocking down a game-tying 3-pointer with 10.3 seconds to go. Rhyne Howard’s midrange floater rimmed out at the buzzer for Atlanta, sending the whole darn thing to overtime. My heart couldn’t take it! Stewart even had a desperation attempt at the very end of OT, but it missed, sealing the deal for Atlanta.
So now, New York is hosting Game 3 on Friday, and it’s do or die for them. The Dream are on the cusp of the Finals, and the Liberty are fighting for their season. You know that next game is going to be absolutely wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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