Renee Castellano
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The WNBA: games, playoffs, free agency and the expansion clubs.
How this desk works. Written from the official box score and play-by-play, with every split and margin worked out here. Injury and roster news comes from league and club announcements only.
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Valkyries beat the Dream 67-62 in Atlanta to tie the WNBA Finals 2-2
Golden State led by 16 before halftime, forced 14 Atlanta turnovers in the first half and held on as the Dream came back in the fourth. Veronica Burton scored the last Valkyries basket with 34.6 seconds left and stole the ball from Angel Reese to close it. Game 5 is Monday in San Francisco.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 25, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream, unbeaten at home in the playoffs, host the Valkyries in Game 4 with a 2-1 Finals lead
Atlanta have outscored Golden State 43-11 on the fast break in the series and won the last two games by 14 and 26. A win on Saturday at State Farm Arena puts the Dream one win from the franchise's first title.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 23, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream rout Valkyries 97-71 to lead the WNBA Finals 2-1
Golden State never led in Game 3 in Atlanta. Angel Reese had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Dream have won two straight after Reese's 30 and 16 took Game 2 in San Francisco. Game 4 is Saturday in Atlanta.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries, 5-0 at home in the playoffs, host the Dream in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals
Golden State lead the series 1-0 after a 7-0 finish on Saturday. Atlanta lost for the first time this postseason in Game 1 and made four of 25 threes. Game 2 tips at 8 p.m. Eastern at Chase Center.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 19, 2026 · 3 min read
Gabby Williams scores 26 as the Valkyries close on a 7-0 run to beat the Dream 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals
Atlanta led by seven with nine minutes left and by three with 3:12 to go, then did not score again. Golden State lead the best-of-seven series 1-0, with Game 2 in San Francisco on Monday.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 18, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries host Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday, with a first title guaranteed for one of them
Golden State, in their second season, have home court after a 32-12 regular season and won all three meetings with Atlanta. The Dream are back in the Finals for the first time since 2013, and they have never won a Finals game.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream hold off Liberty 85-83 to sweep into the WNBA Finals
Jordin Canada scored 19 with 11 assists, and Atlanta answered a five-point deficit early in the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run. Breanna Stewart's basket at the buzzer made it a two-point game, and the Dream play the Valkyries for the title.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 10, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries come back from 11 down, beat Aces 87-77 in overtime to reach the WNBA Finals in their second season
Golden State scored 17 straight points in the third quarter, erased a six-point deficit in the last three minutes of regulation and won overtime 16-6. Gabby Williams scored eight in the extra period, and the Valkyries swept Las Vegas 3-0.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 10, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream and Valkyries can reach the WNBA Finals with Game 3 wins on the road Friday
Atlanta lead New York 2-0 and Golden State lead Las Vegas 2-0. Game 3s are at Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET and Michelob Ultra Arena at 9:30 p.m. ET, and both home teams have to win to stay alive.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 9, 2026 · 2 min read
Dream beat Liberty 101-98 in overtime to take a 2-0 semifinal lead
Marine Fauthoux tied it with 10.3 seconds left in regulation and Breanna Stewart scored 35. Naz Hillmon's layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime put Atlanta one win from the WNBA Finals.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 8, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries beat Aces 83-81 on Kiah Stokes' late block to lead semifinal 2-0
Golden State led by 17 in the third quarter, then trailed 76-74 with 1:36 left. Veronica Burton's 28-foot three put them back in front, and Stokes blocked Chelsea Gray with 3.0 seconds left.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 8, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream rule out Allisha Gray for Game 2 against the Liberty as both semifinals resume Wednesday
Atlanta's leading scorer hurt her left hand in Game 1. The Dream and the Valkyries both lead 1-0 going into a Wednesday double-header in Atlanta and San Francisco.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 6, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream win the third quarter 32-15 and take Game 1 from the Liberty 92-82
Jordin Canada scored 25, 12 of them in the third, and DeWanna Bonner added 23 off the bench. Atlanta had 14 steals and outscored New York 18-0 on the fast break. Sabrina Ionescu scored 27 for the Liberty.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 4, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries out-rebound Aces 52-25 and take Game 1 of the semifinals 71-60
Gabby Williams scored 25 with 11 rebounds, and Golden State took 17 offensive rebounds to Las Vegas' two. A'ja Wilson scored 24 but the Aces shot 34% after sweeping the regular-season series 3-0.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 4, 2026 · 3 min read
Valkyries erase a 16-point deficit, beat Wings 77-73 in Game 3 and move on to the Aces
Dallas led 53-37 in the third quarter after a 20-0 run. Golden State outscored the Wings 40-20 the rest of the way, and Gabby Williams scored eight of the Valkyries' last 10 points.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 3, 2026 · 4 min read
Aces beat Fever 94-83 in Game 3 behind Wilson's 36 and end Indiana's season
A'ja Wilson scored 36 and Las Vegas made 28 of 35 free throws, 14 of 15 in the fourth quarter, to take the series 2-1 and reach a semifinal that opens Sunday.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 2, 2026 · 3 min read
Ogunbowale scores a playoff-record 45 as Wings beat Valkyries in overtime to force Game 3
Dallas lost Game 1 by 24. In Game 2, Arike Ogunbowale made 16 of 18 free throws, hit a tying three with 4.1 seconds left, and added 11 more in overtime to even the series 1-1.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Oct 1, 2026 · 3 min read
Eighth-seeded Liberty sweep top-seeded Lynx with 87-71 win in Game 2
New York never trailed or tied, led by as many as 19 and moves on to the semifinals, which start Sunday, Oct. 4. Jonquel Jones had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 30, 2026 · 3 min read
Fever beat Aces 99-89 to force Game 3 in Las Vegas
Caitlin Clark had 27 points and 15 assists as Indiana outscored Las Vegas 30-17 in the second quarter and led from late in the first half. The series is tied 1-1.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 29, 2026 · 3 min read
Fever host Aces in Game 2 needing a win to stay alive
Indiana trails the best-of-three first-round series 1-0 after a 102-85 loss in Las Vegas. The Fever list Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston among their probable starters.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Aces beat Fever 102-85 in Game 1 as A'ja Wilson scores 38
Wilson made 15 of 19 shots. Caitlin Clark had 15 points and 10 assists for Indiana, which must win at home on Tuesday to force a third game.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Fever open playoffs at Las Vegas with Clark probable and Harris out
Ty Harris broke her left fibula in the regular-season finale and will miss the rest of the season. Aliyah Boston is questionable for Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 27, 2026 · 3 min read
Lynx beat Fever 86-66 to finish with the WNBA's best record
Minnesota never trailed, led by 36, and Indiana's starters shot 9 of 37. Caitlin Clark went 1 of 12 in 18 minutes, and Indiana, 28-16, opens the playoffs at Las Vegas on Sunday.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 25, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream close the regular season 30-14, beat Liberty 83-65
Allisha Gray scored 24, and Atlanta outscored New York 23-7 in the second quarter to turn a one-point game into a 15-point halftime lead.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 24, 2026 · 3 min read
Fever beat Lynx 96-77 as four Minnesota starters miss the second half
Caitlin Clark scored 27 with nine assists as Indiana led by 29 in the first half. Minnesota clinched the No. 1 seed later that night when Portland beat Golden State.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 23, 2026 · 3 min read
Dream beat Liberty 95-84, take control of the four seed
Atlanta outscored New York 32-24 in the third quarter and committed four turnovers all night to move to 29-14, pushing New York to 26-17 with one game left in the season series.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 22, 2026 · 3 min read
Minnesota never trailed Connecticut, despite losing two of the four quarters
The Lynx built a 20-point second-quarter lead and never gave it back, even while Connecticut won the second and third quarters outright. Final: 101-89, and Minnesota stays a game up on Golden State for the league's top seed.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Ogwumike reaches 8,000 career points as Sparks beat Fire 105-84
The 2016 MVP, who will retire after this season, became the fourth player in WNBA history to reach the mark, with 20 points and 12 rebounds against Portland.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 21, 2026 · 2 min read
Mystics beat Fever 93-77 to close within a game of fifth place
Washington led by 26 in the second quarter and Indiana never led, leaving the Fever with two games left, both against the league-best Lynx.
Renee CastellanoDesk name · Sep 20, 2026 · 3 min read