Dream beat Liberty 101-98 in overtime to take 2-0 lead in WNBA semifinals
In short
The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 101-98 in overtime in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2026, taking a 2-0 lead in the WNBA semifinals. Naz Hillmon made the go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime, Angel Reese and Jordin Canada scored 23 points each, and Breanna Stewart scored 35 for New York. Atlanta is one win from its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013.
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The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 101-98 in overtime in Atlanta on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal series. Naz Hillmon made the go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime. The win leaves Atlanta one victory from its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013. The Associated Press reported that New York hosts Game 3 on Friday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Angel Reese scored 23 points, including six of Atlanta's 13 points in overtime, and Newsweek reported she added seven rebounds. Reese made two free throws in the final seconds after Sabrina Ionescu overthrew a pass; the AP put the time at 4.3 seconds left, and Fox News said it was less than five seconds. "We really stayed together and played together, and that's how we won," Reese said, according to the AP. Fox News described Reese as the 2026 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Jordin Canada also scored 23 points and had eight assists, after scoring 25 in Game 1, Newsweek reported. Newsweek said Rhyne Howard finished with 18 points, Hillmon with 12 and DeWanna Bonner with 10. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Breanna Stewart led New York with 35 points, 25 of them in the first half. Newsweek reported she also had 11 rebounds and six assists and made eight of her nine field goal attempts in the first half. Stewart missed a desperation attempt on the final play. The AP reported that the Liberty did not use their reset to advance the ball, and that Stewart said after the game that officials told them they did not have one left. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Late in regulation, with New York trailing 86-80 and under two minutes remaining, Ionescu made a deep 3-pointer. An Atlanta shot-clock violation with 31 seconds left gave New York another chance, and Stewart's layup in traffic made it 86-85. [ 1 , 2 ]
Atlanta played without Allisha Gray, its leading scorer, who was ruled out of Game 2 with a hand injury. Fox News reported that Gray, a four-time All-Star, injured her left hand in the first quarter of Atlanta's 92-82 Game 1 win, briefly returned, then went down again after diving for a loose ball and did not return. It said Game 2 was the first game Gray had missed this season. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
Atlanta needs one more win in the best-of-five series to reach its first WNBA Finals since 2013, the outlets report. Fox News notes that the Liberty are the defending champions, and the Dream won while their leading scorer, Allisha Gray, was out with a hand injury. Game 3 is in New York on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Key facts
- Atlanta beat New York 101-98 in overtime in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals on Oct. 7, 2026, and leads the series 2-0. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Naz Hillmon made the go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Angel Reese scored 23 points, six of them among Atlanta's 13 points in overtime. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Jordin Canada scored 23 points and had eight assists for Atlanta. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Breanna Stewart scored 35 points for New York, 25 of them in the first half. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Atlanta played without Allisha Gray, its leading scorer, who was ruled out with a hand injury suffered in Game 1. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Atlanta won Game 1 92-82 and is one win from its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013. [ 1 , 2 ]
- New York hosts Game 3 on Friday. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Atlanta beat New York 101-98 in overtime in Game 2 to lead the semifinal series 2-0. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Naz Hillmon made the go-ahead layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Angel Reese and Jordin Canada each scored 23 points; Canada had eight assists. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Breanna Stewart scored 35 points for New York. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Atlanta won Game 1 92-82. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Allisha Gray, Atlanta's leading scorer, missed Game 2 with a hand injury. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Atlanta is one win from its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether New York had a reset left on the final play. Only the AP reports this, citing Stewart's account that officials told the Liberty they did not have one left; no official explanation is given.
- Whether Allisha Gray will be available for Game 3. The documents report she missed Game 2 but say nothing about her status for the next game.