TORONTO (AP) — Angel Reese had 15 points and 17 rebounds — which included a career-high 11 offensive, one short of tying the WNBA single-game record — and the Atlanta Dream beat the Toronto Tempo 102-77 on Sunday.
Reese, who came in averaging 14.6 points and a league-leading 11.9 rebounds, has nine double-doubles this season and 59 in her career, the most in WNBA history through 76 games. Reese, acquired April 6 from Chicago in a trade for two first-round picks, has 17 rebounds in three of the past four games.
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Toronto Tempo's Julie Allemand (22) drives to the net past Atlanta Dream's Naz Hillmon, left, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Tempo's Marina Mabrey (3) and Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray (15) battle for the ball during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Atlanta Dream's Jordin Canada, right, shoots over Toronto Tempo's Julie Allemand (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Tempo's Brittney Sykes, left, keeps the ball from Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese, second from left, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Reese's 11 offensive rebounds were one shy of the franchise mark set by Sancho Lyttle, who shares the WNBA’s single-game record with Glory Johnson, Nneka Ogwumike and Cheryl Ford.
Allisha Gray added 26 points and seven assists for the Dream (9-4) and Rhyne Howard had 24 points and three blocks. Rookie second-round pick Isobel Borlase shot 5 of 6 from the field and scored a career-high 17 points.
Gray made five 3-pointers and moved past Angel McCoughtry (233) into third place in franchise history with 235 career 3s. Howard, who made four from behind the arc, has a franchise-record 408 career 3-pointers.
Atlanta — which shot just 6 of 25 (24%) from the field, including 1 of 12 from behind the arc, in the first quarter as the Tempo opened a 12-point lead — shot 64% (11 of 17) overall, made each of its four 3-point shots and had nine assists in the second.
Gray had 11 points and four assists as Atlanta outscored the Tempo 34-14 in the second period, the Dream's highest-scoring quarter this season.
Toronto’s Isabelle Harrison scored 17 points before she was called for a flagrant foul 2 and ejected about four minutes into the third following a hard foul on Reese.
Julie Allemand had 13 points, six assists, two steals and two blocks for the Tempo (7-7).
Toronto's Nyara Sabally (hamstring) missed her second consecutive game.
Dream: Play Thursday at Indiana.
Tempo: Visit Indiana on Tuesday.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Toronto Tempo's Julie Allemand (22) drives to the net past Atlanta Dream's Naz Hillmon, left, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Tempo's Marina Mabrey (3) and Atlanta Dream's Allisha Gray (15) battle for the ball during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Atlanta Dream's Jordin Canada, right, shoots over Toronto Tempo's Julie Allemand (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Tempo's Brittney Sykes, left, keeps the ball from Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese, second from left, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hours before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Rod Brind'Amour praised Brandon Bussi while also expressing some measure of relief that the Carolina Hurricanes did not need to turn to their backup goaltender during this playoff run.
“Haven’t had to use him, (and) to be honest, I hope we don’t because something’s gone wrong,” Brind'Amour said.
Turns out the late-blooming goaltender came out of the bullpen after all and backstopped the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.
After Frederik Andersen was in net for every minute of the first three rounds and the start of the final, Bussi came in during Game 3 and finished out the series. He stopped 81 of the 87 shots he faced against Vegas as Andersen’s status was shrouded in mystery; the veteran from Denmark did not dress from Game 4 on because of a knee injury that was only revealed after the final was over.
“Freddie battled," Brind'Amour said. “He got a little nicked up, wasn’t 100%. I felt for him, but he got us here and then Bus took over. This is a team.”
Bussi and Andersen embraced after Game 6 ended Sunday night. Andersen, at 36 the second-oldest player on the team, was the first player captain and playoff MVP Jordan Staal handed the Cup to after getting it from Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“It’s disbelief, really," Andersen said. "I did not expect that. It really beat every emotion I could think of or what I’ve been feeling."
Bussi, a 27-year-old from Long Island, was not an unknown quantity for the Hurricanes because he played in nearly half their games this season, winning 31 of his 39 starts to help Carolina earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He got a three-year extension at a bargain-basement $5.7 million price in February.
Before the past several months, he was on track for the career of a journeyman.
Going undrafted, he spend several years in the Boston Bruins' farm system with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. Liking what they saw, the astute back-to-back champion Florida Panthers signed him last summer to be their third goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov.
Trying to get him to the AHL in Charlotte, the Panthers lost Bussi when Carolina claimed him off waivers. He and fiancée Mary Raclawski were 10 hours into a drive from from South Florida to North Carolina when his agent called to tell him the Hurricanes had claimed him.
“The next thing you know, the following day I’m in Raleigh and I’m on the opening night roster,” Bussi said. "It’s crazy.”
Injuries to Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov thrust him into an important role for a top contender.
Bussi was even more needed in the final. He entered at the second intermission in Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0. He stopped all 18 shots to allow a stirring comeback, and the only goal he allowed was the Golden Knights' winner in double overtime when the puck took a bad bounce off the end boards behind him and Bussi inadvertently kicked it in.
In the Game 6 clincher, Bussi denied playoff-leading goal-scorer Brett Howden, who got in all alone in the first period. He stopped Tomas Hertl on a 2-on-1 rush in the second, much to the joy of family members watching from the stands. Then Bussi robbed Hertl and Mark Stone on quality scoring chances in the final few minutes of regulation.
Hurricanes fans in Las Vegas chanted “Buss-i! Buss-i!” on the way to his third career shutout. A journeyman no more, Bussi is now a Stanley Cup champion.
So is Andersen.
“This is something everyone dreams of," Andersen said. "You don’t really know what it feels like until you try it, and now we’re here.”
Whyno contributed from New York.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes celebrate goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) starting against Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
The Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) stops a shot on goal during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) stops a shot on goal during the second period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) stops a shot on goal during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
