Dream Makes a Statement with Win against Indiana
Published on June 20, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Atlanta Dream News Release
The Atlanta Dream made a statement, and Angel Reese made WNBA history in the team's 113-96 victory against the Indiana Fever on Saturday at a sold-out State Farm Arena.
Sparked by an aggressive second half, the Dream (11-4) dominated Caitlin Clark and the Fever for the second consecutive game, furthering its credentials as the Eastern Conference's best team. Saturday's victory came after Thursday's 108-101 victory in Indianapolis.
Atlanta set a franchise record for points scored. It has scored at least 100 points in three consecutive games and eclipsed the mark for the fourth time this season.
"We have really good offensive players, that combined with playing with a lot more pace...it's starting to catch on," Dream Head Coach Karl Smesko said.
Reese was one of many reasons why in both games. Today, she became the fastest player in league history to grab 1,000 rebounds, finishing the game with eight, and 18 points. Reese needed just 79 games, 10 fewer than the previous record-holder, Tina Charles.
Reese said he she has tried to congratulate herself on being the fastest player in league history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
"Just being able to come out and do what I do every single night just shows my consistency," Reese said. "I think a lot of times I'm really hard on myself about how well I want to be and how great I want to be, but just taking my time and just knowing that I've done some great things ... just patting myself on the back, and just knowing that I want more."
Rhyne Howard continued her MVP-caliber season with a team-leading 24 points, with four rebounds, and three assists. Naz Hillmon finished with a season-high 19 points. Allisha Gray added 22 points. Jordin Canada scored 12 points with 12 assists, seven rebounds and zero turnovers. Atlanta scored 54 points in the paint compared to Indiana's 34. Atlanta finished with 60 to Indiana's 46 on Thursday.
"I think it just goes to what we pay attention to in film, and every single day we try to figure out ways to win, and I think Naz specifically really did a great job dominating inside and out," Reese said.
The net-scorching shooting of Thursday's matchup continued into Saturday's. The period ended with the Fever leading 37-30. Clark and Hillmon squared off with 13 points each. It was the most points scored by Atlanta in the first quarter and allowed by Atlanta in any quarter this season.
The nets were still smoldering in the second quarter. Three Dream players, Reese, Howard, and Te-Hina Paopao scored six points each to cut Indiana's lead to three, 59-56, at halftime. Hillmon finished with a season-high 13 points in the half. The 59 points were the most Dream allowed in a half this season.
Smesko said Indiana played elite offense in the first half, but Atlanta helped with miscommunications on assignments.
"For us to be able to just regroup at halftime, make some adjustments, and then you could see the difference on the floor," Smesko said. "I thought that's a sign of maturity from our team. They weren't rattled; they understand it. We needed to do some things, and then they went out and executed it."
Indiana players Aliyah Boston, Monique Billings, and Lexie Hull picked up their fourth, fourth, and third fouls early in the third quarter.
Atlanta has typically shut down opponents in the fourth quarter this season. This time, the tightening happened in the third quarter.
With Indiana's center and forward on the bench, the Dream began to attack the basket. A Reese layup gave Atlanta a 66-65 lead with 6:08 left in the third quarter.
Reese grabbed the 1,000th rebound of her career and put in the layup to increase the Dream's lead to 70-65. The historic rebound came with 4:30 left in the quarter.
Atlanta's run reached 13 and it led 73-65 after a Howard 3-pointer.
Boston was called for her fifth foul with 59.7 seconds left in the third. Billings was called for her fifth with 33 seconds left.
Atlanta outscored Indiana by 13 in the third and carried an 84-74 lead into the fourth. The lead was built by the Dream holding Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell scoreless in the third. Clark scored eight, but every other Fever player was limited to three points or fewer. "Just being able to get defensive stops, I think that's what got us out in that second half, because we were so locked in on defense," Reese said. "We took our matchups very personally, and we saw with the things that we had mistakes on in the first half, and we took into detail what we wanted to do better in the second half, and I think we really, really did that."
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 20, 2026
- Alanna Smith Injury Update - Dallas Wings
- Sky Looking to Even Regular-Season Series against Wings - Chicago Sky
- Seattle Storm Postgame Notes 6.20.26 - Seattle Storm
- Dream Makes a Statement with Win against Indiana - Atlanta Dream
- Game Notes: Atlanta Dream 113, Indiana Fever 96 - Atlanta Dream
- Indiana Fever Suffer Loss at Atlanta Dream - Indiana Fever
- Sun Announce Final Pratt Street Fan Fest - Connecticut Sun
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
