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.
By Renee CastellanoDesk name · October 10, 2026 · 3 min read
Breanna Stewart put back a missed New York three with 0.2 seconds left, and it was not enough. The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday night at Barclays Center to win their semifinal 3-0 and reach the WNBA Finals, where they meet the Golden State Valkyries.
Jordin Canada scored 19 points with 11 assists and made all eight free throws. Angel Reese led Atlanta with 22 points and nine rebounds, and Rhyne Howard scored 21. Stewart and Jonquel Jones scored 26 each for New York, and Jones added 14 rebounds.
Atlanta played a second straight game without Allisha Gray, out with a left hand injury from Game 1.
A 12-point lead, gone in five minutes
The Dream led 25-18 after one quarter and 44-39 at half-time. Howard's three and a DeWanna Bonner jumper opened the third quarter, and two Reese free throws made it 51-39 with 8:21 left in the quarter.
New York answered with 10 straight points. Sabrina Ionescu hit a three, and Jones scored the next seven, a three, a jumper and a driving layup, to cut it to 51-49. Jones tipped in a miss to give the Liberty a 56-55 lead with 4:39 left, and the teams traded the lead from there. New York won the third quarter 29-22 and led 68-66 going into the fourth.
The 9-0 run
Ionescu's three from 25 feet made it 71-66 for New York with 9:26 to play, the Liberty's biggest lead of the night.
Atlanta scored the next nine. Howard made two free throws and a driving layup. Canada hit a three from 24 feet with 5:23 left to put the Dream back in front, 73-71, then made two more free throws for a 75-71 lead.
Howard's three-point play made it 78-73, and Bonner made all three free throws on a foul behind the arc for 81-75 with 3:15 left.
The last minute
Canada scored inside to make it 83-79 with 1:15 to go. Jones answered with a layup off a Stewart pass, 83-81, with 59 seconds left.
Naz Hillmon missed a layup for Atlanta with 39.2 seconds left. Hillmon then stole an Ionescu pass, and Leonie Fiebich stole a Howard pass right back with 20.9 seconds left. Stewart missed from five feet with 9.9 seconds left, Bonner took the rebound, and Bonner made two free throws for 85-81 with 6.2 seconds left.
Ionescu missed a three from 30 feet. Stewart grabbed the rebound and scored as time ran out, and the basket stood after a replay review. The final margin was two.
How Atlanta won it
The Dream made 22 of 24 free throws to New York's 20 of 21, and turned the ball over seven times to the Liberty's 10. Atlanta also took 69 shots to New York's 62.
Atlanta won Game 1 92-82 and Game 2 101-98 in overtime.
Scoring
Atlanta: Angel Reese 22, Rhyne Howard 21, Jordin Canada 19, DeWanna Bonner 13, Isobel Borlase 10, Naz Hillmon 0, Te-Hina Paopao 0.
New York: Breanna Stewart 26, Jonquel Jones 26, Sabrina Ionescu 12, Marine Fauthoux 9, Leonie Fiebich 8, Han Xu 2, Pauline Astier 0, Marine Johannès 0.
By quarter: Atlanta 25, 19, 22, 19. New York 18, 21, 29, 15.
What is next
The WNBA Finals start on Saturday, October 17, with Game 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco at 3:30 p.m. ET. Golden State swept Las Vegas 3-0 to get there.
Ads are turned off because you declined advertising cookies. You can change that in .
More from Full Court Press
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 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
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