Angel Reese has 30 points, 16 rebounds as Dream beat Valkyries 79-65 to even WNBA Finals at 1-1

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Angel Reese sent the message loud and clear to her teammates: “I need the ball! I need the ball!”

In front of the Golden State Valkyries' raucous home crowd, the Atlanta star had no choice but to raise her voice — and Reese knew she had to raise her game, too.

She delivered with 30 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals after she struggled down the stretch in the series opener, and the Dream stymied Golden State on both ends in the second half to beat the Valkyries 79-65 on Monday night and even the best-of-seven matchup at one game apiece.

“For me, I think I let my team down last game not really contributing as much as I could in the second half,” Reese said. “Not even just about scoring, my screen quality, me hustling and running to get rebounds, just doing the things that they know me to do. So I just wanted to make sure I came out tonight and left my mark and did whatever I could to get the win, and I think I did that tonight.”

Rhyne Howard set a Finals record with six steals, Allisha Gray added 18 points, and Jordin Canada contributed 13 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as the Dream earned the franchise's first Finals victory after going winless in three previous trips — 0-10 overall. They now head home having salvaged a split in front of the boisterous “Ballhalla” crowd at Chase Center.

“It's just the next step of who Atlanta is,” Reese said.

Reese became the third player with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones for Connecticut in 2019 and Breanna Stewart for Seattle in 2020.

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko could see the focus in his superstar's face before the game, and Reese's teammates also saw it.

“She was definitely way more aggressive, she had a great game,” Valkyries center Kiah Stokes said. “We let everyone kind of have their way.”

Game 3 is Wednesday in Atlanta, where the next two matchups were moved to the NBA Hawks’ State Farm Arena so more fans could attend. It holds more than 17,000, as opposed to the Dream’s regular home, Gateway Center Arena, which accommodates only 3,500.

Chase Center holds 18,064 and has sold out every game since the Valkyries began playing last year.

Gabby Williams finished with 14 points on 3-for-15 shooting after she was the only Golden State player to score in double figures with 26 points in Saturday’s 68-64 Game 1 win. The Valkyries shot 34.4% and went 7 for 24 from 3-point range.

“We shot terribly,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “We missed shots that we make all the time.”

Foul trouble almost did in the Dream this time — but Reese simply wouldn’t have it. She went scoreless in the second half of the opener but delivered the big baskets and key defensive stops two days later, finishing 10 for 16 from the floor while dishing out three assists and blocking two shots.

“We watched film and saw the things that we messed up on. When I said that they didn’t do anything to mess us up, it was literally just us,” Reese said. “And we can see that tonight. And we’re gonna carry that over in Atlanta. Atlanta, y’all better pull up and pop out, I’m looking forward to it.”

Atlanta scored 24 points off Golden State's 19 turnovers to hand the Valkyries their first loss in regulation since a 73-70 defeat at Chicago on Aug. 21. The Dream had just eight points off turnovers in Game 1 but returned to the defensive formula that advanced Atlanta this far.

“We just got back to our identity about who we are and kept our foot on the pedal,” Reese said. “We didn’t let up and everybody was just on the same page, we had each other’s back. That’s just Atlanta basketball.”

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts after an and-one foul during the second half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Golden State Valkyries, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) passes the ball while defended by Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese, left, during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Golden State Valkyries, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Atlanta Dream guard-forward Rhyne Howard, left, steals the ball from Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) calls a play against the Atlanta Dream during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Golden State Valkyries, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)

Golden State Valkyries and Warriors owner Joe Lacob, middle, watches with Warriors president and chief operating officer Brandon Schneider, middle left, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during the second half of Game 1 of the WNBA basketball finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams celebrates after Game 1 of the WNBA basketball finals against the Atlanta Dream, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen reacts after scoring against the Atlanta Dream during the first half of Game 1 of the WNBA basketball finals, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes (15) celebrates with guard-forward Kaila Charles (6) during the second half of Game 1 of the WNBA basketball finals, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will play a Suds vs. Sun World Series that will produce a first-time champion and likely baseball's first all-indoor championship.

The best-of-seven showdown between low-payroll pennant winners opens Friday night in Milwaukee. It'll be the first World Series between title-less teams since the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in 1980.

One city is known for the television sitcom “ Laverne & Shirley," the home of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, cheeseheads and breweries that have included Miller, Pabst and Schlitz. The other is a vacation destination featuring warm weather, beaches and art museums.

Just five of the current 30 teams have never won a title, with Colorado, San Diego and Seattle also ringless.

“The city is ready. I know that the fans are ready, and I know that we’ll be ready,” said Milwaukee's Jake Bauers, MVP of the four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski heads the pitchers with his 100 mph-plus heat, and each team features a dynamic 22-year-old anchoring the lineup: Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Junior Caminero of the Rays. Tampa Bay's Freddy Peralta and Drew Rasmussen could pitch against their former teams.

The Brewers started as the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969, then were bought by Bud Selig's group in bankruptcy court and moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season. The team's only Series trip was a seven-game loss to St. Louis in the 1982 Suds Series, back when the Brewers were in the American League.

Tampa Bay, which defeated Cleveland in six games for the AL pennant, launched as the expansion Devil Rays in 1998 and dropped the “Devil” ahead of the 2008 season. The team's two Series appearances ended with losses to Philadelphia in 2008 and the Dodgers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

This will be only the sixth time since the start of the wild-card era in 1995 that teams with the top records in each league meet in the World Series after Atlanta-Cleveland (1995), New York Yankees-Braves (1999), Boston-St. Louis (2013), Dodgers-Rays (2020) and Dodgers-Yankees (2024).

Milwaukee had MLB’s 19th-highest payroll as of Aug. 31. Tampa Bay was 25th.

Not since 1991 had both pennant winners been among the bottom 50% in player spending. Minnesota was 15th among 26 teams when it beat Atlanta (19th) in seven games.

Tampa Bay’s ballpark has a fixed roof and Milwaukee’s is retractable — it probably will be closed with game-time temperatures predicted to be in the upper 40s or low 50s.

When all World Series games were played at retractable-roof ballparks in 2020 (Texas) and 2023 (Texas and Arizona), there were three open-air games each year.

The roofs of both ballparks came into play this postseason.

In the ninth inning of Milwaukee’s 3-2 win over the Padres in Game 1 of their NL Division Series, San Diego’s Ty France hit a high drive that appeared it might be headed over the left-field wall for a go-ahead homer until it struck a cable on the retractable roof in Milwaukee.

Two nights later, Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a flyball off a catwalk at Tropicana Field that was caught by Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. for an out in the second inning of New York’s 5-2 loss in Game 2 of their AL Division Series.

Greg Vaughn, Willy Adames and Matt Garza are the most prominent players with lengthy stretches on both teams, and Bauers made his big league debut with the Rays in 2018.

Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold worked for the Rays for nine years before Milwaukee hired him as an assistant GM in October 2015.

Those 1982 Brewers were known as Harvey's Wallbangers, a nickname given by first baseman Cecil Cooper. The Brewers led the major leagues in home runs under manager Harvey Kuenn and had a roster with five future Hall of Famers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons and Don Sutton.

Various players over the years have claimed The Pfister Hotel, where many teams stay in Milwaukee, is haunted. Opened in 1893, the hotel has Romanesque Revival architecture, and players have claimed to hear spooky noises and footsteps.

If there is a Game 7, it would be played in Milwaukee on Halloween night.

Milwaukee's Pat Murphy, winner of the last two NL Manager of the Year awards, has two tattoos referencing Bruce Springsteen: “No Retreat No Surrender” on his left forearm and “The Boss” on his back.

He first went to a Springsteen concert in 1980 when he was in college, then another when he was coaching at Notre Dame.

“He grew up a Catholic kid in New Jersey. I was a Catholic kid from upstate New York,” the 67-year-old Murphy said. “There’s just so much that resonates with me how he speaks about things.”

The 1982 Series was played at Milwaukee County Stadium, home of the Braves from 1953-65 before they moved to Atlanta, and then the Brewers from 1970-2000. This year's championship will be played at American Family Field. Known as Miller Park from 2001-20, the ballpark is adjacent to the County Stadium site. It was host of the 2002 All-Star Game, which ended in a 7-7, 11-inning tie after both teams ran out of pitchers.

Milwaukee's ballpark is known for its Racing Sausages in the middle of the sixth inning, with the Brat, Polish, Italian, Hot Dog and Chorizo competing. It also has the Uecker Seat in the last row of section 422 in the left-field upper deck — it includes a bronze statue of Bob Uecker, the beloved funny man who broadcast Brewers games for 54 seasons until his death last year.

Tampa Bay's home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, is on its third name. Known as the Florida Suncoast Dome from 1990-93 and the ThunderDome from 1993-96, the stadium got its current name about 18 months before the Rays' first game in 1998.

Its only prior World Series games were in 2008, when the Rays split the first two games against Philadelphia before the Phillies won three straight at home. Tampa Bay's other Series appearance was in 2020, when due to the coronavirus pandemic the entire series was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The Trop reopened this season after repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Milton. The Rays plan to move to a new stadium across the bay in Tampa in 2029.

Milwaukee went 29-13 in cream uniforms during the regular season, 17-7 in pinstripes, 27-12 in navy blue, 9-6 in City Connect outfits and 21-21 in light blue. During the postseason, the Brewers are 4-0 in cream and 3-1 in navy.

Tampa Bay was 36-19 in home white, 32-33 in road navy, 8-2 in road Columbia blue, 12-3 in Devil Rays throwback jerseys, 6-4 in City Connect and 3-3 in road gray. In the playoffs, the Rays are 3-1 in home white, 1-0 in Devil Rays throwbacks and 3-1 in road gray.

Milwaukee was 32 for 128 (.250) and had a .347 on-base percentage in its NLCS sweep of the Dodgers, the exact same numbers Los Angeles batters had in their NLCS sweep of the Brewers last year.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen celebrates the end of the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in Cleveland, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio watches from the dugout during the third inning of Game 3 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski reacts to striking out Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani during the third inning of Game 1 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)