Dream remains perfect in postseason run after Game 2 overtime win over Liberty

The name of the game was speed and energy, and unfortunately for the New York Liberty, the Dream delivered on both.

After a grueling overtime battle in Game 2 of the semifinals, the Dream beat the Liberty 101-98 to extend their undefeated postseason record.

This matchup wasn’t the prettiest for either team. New York fought harder than usual, attempting to keep up with Atlanta’s tough defensive scheme. But it wasn’t just the upgraded intensity of the competition that shifted the atmosphere; it was the myriad of fouls and missed calls that the teams were really fighting against.

Twenty-six total foul calls in the first half alone slowed down the momentum, but the Dream kept their energy throughout to continue giving the Liberty a run for their money and capitalizing on their opponents’ turnovers to convert them to 28 points.

Once again, the Dream had to rely on everyone to step up, as Allisha Gray was out for the game and will now be on day-to-day restriction. DeWanna Bonner checked in to take her spot on the starting lineup. Isobel Borlase came off the bench and made her minutes count, scoring 11 points. Jordin Canada continued to be a nightmare for the Liberty as she constantly zipped past their defense while holding down both sides of the floor.

The Liberty kept it close leading into the fourth quarter and trailed by just three points (86-83) with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Angel Reese went to the free-throw line and made the final two points to extend the Dream’s lead by three with 14 seconds remaining. But the Liberty came back to tie the game after a 3-pointer from Marine Fauthoux, sending the matchup to overtime with 10 seconds remaining.

The Liberty tried to rely on their 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough, however, to stop Atlanta’s run in crunch time when the final buzzer sounded. Two more clutch free-throw baskets from Reese sealed the deal.

Key Moments

The second half. Foul calls decreased, even if only slightly, and helped as the team pushed for a run. This is where the Dream came alive. Though you could see the wear and tear of both teams as the clock wound down, neither one gave up the fight.

The play flowed more smoothly when the whistles were more selective. But it was the Dream that showed their resilience when it carried to overtime.

Top performers

Dream

Jordin Canada: 23 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST

Angel Reese: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST

Rhyne Howard: 18 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST

Naz Hillmon: 12 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST

Isobel Borlase: 11 PTS, 4 REB

DeWanna Bonner: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST

Liberty

Breanna Stewart: 35 PTS, 11 REB

Jonquel Jones: 21 PTS, 8 REB

Marine Fauthoux: 20 PTS, 6 REB

Quotable:

“Our team is super fearless, and being in moments like this, we always talk about adversity builds character. And I think all of us have been in situations in our life where we felt like it was a last possession, or our backs were against a wall in some sort, and all of us were saying just ‘one more, just one more, just one more.’ And I think we did a great job making sure that we were all on the connected stream. We just stayed together and played together, and that’s how we wanted.” - Reese on the team’s resiliency

“I loved how we came out of the timeout, executed, got the shot we were looking for, and we just had a message that we thought we could be the best team over the last five minutes…I mean, J.C. (Canada) has been incredible the whole playoffs. She’s just been so tough. Today was no exception, and then you look at Angel (Reese) getting all those offensive rebounds and big plays in overtime, and then knocks down three throws. They were just, they were both so tough in the key moments and proud of both of them.” - coach Karl Smesko on the game plan after halftime

“I think it’s maturity. We talk about it in the locker room, and honestly, from training camp, our two main focuses is managing our emotions and valuing possessions more. And I think over time, through the season, you’ve seen that in the second half of our season, I thought we’ve done a really good job of valuing our possessions and executing down the stretch defensively and offensively, which has helped us into these playoffs. And even though we went into overtime, I thought we did an excellent job of our defensive schemes and getting a bucket when we needed to.

“We’ve been harping on it every single day, and so you’re starting to see that come to fruition. And you know, we want to keep doing that as much as we can.” - Canada on the team’s adjustments made through the playoffs

“Some tough calls at the end going into the half, and it was frustrating. Not gonna lie, but I think we continue to pour into each other, being there for each other. We have a lot of great voices in our locker room. When one person is going through a moment, somebody’s got to lean on them and pick them up and have their back. And that’s the importance of having a team. That’s the importance of a sisterhood, and I think that’s really gotten us this far. How close we are, we’re really close. Our team is fun. We enjoy being around each other, and it makes it a lot easier to want to go to work for these girls.” - Reese on what the win meant for the team

Highlight of the night