The first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history ended with confetti for somebody else. Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream lost 68 to 63 to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday night at Chase Center, and Golden State walked off with its first championship in just its second season.
Gabby Williams decided the game after halftime. She scored 30 points for Golden State, a Finals record 28 of them in the second half, and took home Finals MVP.
Reese finished with 8 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks in the loss. Across the series she still made history, becoming the first player ever with at least 100 points and 90 rebounds in one Finals series, finishing with 103 points and 90 rebounds.
“It is tough in the moment, but we’ll be back. I always say: delayed, not denied. This is only Year 3.”
Angel Reese, speaking after Game 7
Reese also said this group changed her life, that she is grateful for them, and that she would go to war with them all over again.
Atlanta is still chasing its first title, and Reese just finished Year 3. A player who sets a Finals record in a series her team lost is probably not done with this stage.
See also: Angel Reese Put Up 30 Points and 16 Rebounds in the WNBA Finals and Angel Reese Manifested the WNBA Finals a Year Ago