Angel Reese struggles badly after bold comments as Valkyries beat Dream to even WNBA Finals

Angel Reese shot 2-for-12 from the floor and committed six turnovers in a 67-62 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday at State Farm Arena. The defeat leveled the best-of-seven WNBA Finals at 2-2 after Atlanta Dream victories in the first two games.

Reese finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Her performance marked a sharp decline from the previous two contests, during which she combined for 51 points and 28 rebounds. In Game 4, she went scoreless in the first quarter and entered halftime with four points, three rebounds, five turnovers and three fouls, two of which were offensive.

The Dream's struggles extended beyond their star player. Atlanta committed 14 turnovers in the first half and attempted only 19 shots compared to Golden State's 40. The Valkyries closed the first half on an 18-6 run to take a 42-26 lead into the break. Reese's hook shot with 6:15 remaining in the second quarter was Atlanta's last field goal of the half.

Atlanta mounted a push in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to six points on a three-pointer from Isobel Borlase with 4:27 remaining. Golden State answered with consecutive baskets from Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams to lead 54-45 entering the fourth quarter. Reese scored two points in the third quarter, both at the free-throw line, and missed her only shot attempt from the field.

Reese missed her first five shots in the fourth quarter, including three layups, a tip shot and a short hook. She finally made a driving layup with 1:36 remaining, her first field goal since the second quarter, to cut the deficit to 64-59. That basket came after she missed six layups earlier in the game, one of which was blocked by Kiah Stokes.

The Dream's final possession ended with a pass from Reese that Gabby Williams stole with 9.8 seconds left. It was Reese's sixth turnover of the game. The Dream also finished 22-for-31 from the free-throw line. Allisha Gray picked up her fifth foul early in the fourth quarter.

Before tipoff, both teams again skipped the national anthem performance for the fourth consecutive game in the series. They departed just before the song began and re-entered shortly after it finished. Reese said on Friday that she could take Golden State's confidence and "mess them up," adding that they were playing into her mental game.

Game 5 is scheduled for Monday at Chase Center in San Francisco.