Angel Reese let her basketball do all the talking last night against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. She made some history on the night the Atlanta Dream recorded their biggest margin of victory this season. The 24-year-old became the first WNBA player to record at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on a 100% field goal percentage in a half. Her reaction after her 16th point showcased that she felt in complete control.

The Dream forward shot threes with 8:02 and 6:21 left on the clock, respectively. Based on a graphic near the tail of the video, it looks likely that the moment in question was the three-pointer with 6:21 left that took the Dream to 47-21. JustWomensSports posted the video that showcased the reactions of the bench as well as the star guard.

Rhyne Howard drove forward with purpose, drawing all five of the Sparks players towards her inside the arc. She then found Jordin Canada out wide on the right, who presented the ball to Reese. 

Reese set herself up and sent the ball through the hoop for her 16th point of the night. After it went in, the player stretched her arms out wide and made the ‘Ok gesture’ with her thumb and index fingers touching and the other three fingers raised. 

While jogging backwards, Reese then turned and covered her mouth with her left hand. Her right arm extended straight to what seemed like the crowd. But it was actually to her teammates and Dream staff on the sidelines, who were on their feet cheering her on. The crowd, too, had their hands up, wildly celebrating Reese’s milestone.

Just four minutes after that, Reese set another record just seconds before scoring her 18th and final points of the half.

Reese broke her rookie season WNBA record

As if this were not enough, she ended up breaking another WNBA record, which was hers alone. Reese grabbed her 173rd offensive rebound of this year, which is the most in a single WNBA season.

She broke her own record of 172 while playing for the Sky, just two years after she set it. Earlier, Yolanda Griffith’s 162 offensive rebounds for the Sacramento Monarchs was the league’s longstanding record. It stood for around 23 years, i.e., before Reese was born.

Reese, who ended the half with 18 points, added two in the third quarter. She finished the night with a stat line of 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals, shooting 100% from the field.

The game was a dominating display of lethal shooting for the Dream, as they recorded a staggering 64% FG, while also converting 62% of their shots from beyond the arc.

In comparison, the Sparks managed only 48% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc. Howard finished with a game-high 26 points, and Canada added eleven assists on the night.

It was a nightmare night for the Sparks, who were unable to threaten the Dream defense. The Sparks were blown away in the first ten minutes itself, as they trailed by 22. They did manage to outscore the Dream in the second quarter, but a one-point turn is nothing when trailing by 22. With 1:30 left in the game, the Dream was leading by 42.

With this loss, the LA Sparks extended its losing streak to six games. The defeat further officially eliminated the 3-time WNBA Champs from playoff contention this season.

Their scoring woes can be gauged from the fact that Cameron Brink, a defensive player who came off the bench, was their highest scorer on the night with 14 points, followed by Rae Burrell at 12 points.

For the Dream, Reese and Co. continue to lead their charge towards a top-four finish, as they are locked in an intense battle to secure home-court advantage with the Indiana Fever (24-13) and are just a game behind them with a 23-13 record.

Reese continues to surpass milestones in her first year with the Dream. Earlier in the season, she became the quickest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 career boards, doing so in just 79 games.

Her achievement eclipsed Tina Charles’ previous record of achieving 1,000 rebounds in 89 games. She also surpassed the Atlanta Dream franchise record for the most rebounds in a single season, doing so in just 32 games.

The Atlanta fans can now genuinely expect a deep run in the postseason from this team, given their recent form.

Given their momentum, with a 3-1 run in their last four comprising two 30+point victories and Reese’s form, they will be confident of completing a regular-season sweep over the Phoenix Mercury at the Footprint Center on August 22.