The Golden State Valkyries outscored the Atlanta Dream 17-8 in the final 10 minutes of Finals Game 1. The Dream went on to lose the tight game 68-64, and rather than what their opponents did right in the final minutes of the game, Angel Reese had an honest take about her performance, especially her display in the final two quarters of the game.

“I don’t think they really did anything. Maybe that was just on me. I wasn’t aggressive enough with the ball, trying to get the ball and get to my spot. So I’m definitely going to do a better job of that next game,” said Reese in the post-game press conference when asked about her outing in the second half of the game.

Angel Reese failed to score in the second half of the game, with all of her 14 points of the game coming in the first half itself. She attempted just three shots in the second half of the game. Reese finished the night adding 12 rebounds, two steals, and a block. But Reese also committed five fouls and four turnovers in the game.

The game went to the wire, with the lead changing hands between the two teams several times. Golden State dominated the fourth quarter, which included a 7-0 run in the final 2:15 minutes of the game, all on free throws. Gabby Williams added six of those seven points. Williams previously made the shot that trimmed Atlanta’s lead to 62-61.

After the game, Natalie Nakase credited forward Laeticia Amihere for her performance, as she guarded Angel Reese in the game, especially in the second half.

“I thought [Amihere] did a fantastic job with that matchup [on Angel]. LA had great energy; again, she was kind of our insight with this game plan, and so you could tell there was a lot of confidence in her matchup,” said Nakase.

“[Amihere] was really key tonight for our success.”

Amihere finished the game with five points, five rebounds, one steal, and a block in 14 minutes of playing time in the game.

The game also had its fair share of controversy. After Sophie Cunningham called out Reese for her “dangerous” play in the semifinals, Reese was again the point of focus as her contact with Veronica Burton went uncalled for in the second half of the game. On the very next possession, Reese was called for a personal foul on Gabby Williams. It seemed that Reese hit Williams in the face as the two attempted to grab the ball. But some fans thought the play should have been reviewed to check whether the foul was a flagrant.

The uncalled foul could have had serious implications for Reese, who came dangerously close to fouling out of the game.

However, none of this stopped her from making history on the night, as Reese became the fastest player to reach 100+ points, 10+ steals, and 10+ blocks in WNBA/NBA playoff history.

Also, at 24 years and 164 days, Reese became the youngest center in WNBA history to record a double-double on her Finals debut, per the Sporting News.

While Reese may have taken the onus for this close loss, Atlanta as a team also did not fare any better offensively in this game, recording an FG% of just 33, making just 21 of their 64 shots from the field. In a series that was always expected to be a close matchup between the two best defensive sides in the league, those missed chances on Atlanta’s part proved costly.

The Valkyries will also look to diversify their scoring in the next game, as Gabby Williams was the only player who scored in double digits for them. With 26 points, Williams was the highest scorer on the night, while adding four rebounds and two assists.

Game 2 of the Finals will be played on October 19, again at the Chase Center, with the Valkyries looking to go up 2- 0 behind the full force of “Balhalla.”