Rhyne Howard made WNBA history and Angel Reese set a franchise record as the Atlanta Dream beat the Toronto Tempo 107-95 on Monday.
The Atlanta Dream had six players score in double figures Monday night, but Rhyne Howard and Angel Reese left Gateway Center Arena with records.
Howard made 6 3-pointers and scored 22 points as Atlanta beat the Toronto Tempo 107-95. Reese finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for her 22nd double-double of the season.
Howard reached 100 made 3-pointers this season in her 31st game, the fastest any player has reached the mark in WNBA history. The previous record was 33 games, shared by Howard and Diana Taurasi. Monday was also Howard's 11th game with at least 20 points this season, and her 6 made 3-pointers led Atlanta.
Reese collected 6 offensive rebounds and went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line. Her 22 double-doubles are an Atlanta single-season record, and she leads the WNBA in the category. Alyssa Thomas holds the league single-season record with 28 in 2023. Reese has recorded at least 20 points and 10 rebounds seven times this season.
Dream Pull Away in Second Quarter
Atlanta took control before halftime, outscoring Toronto 30-17 in the second quarter and going into the break ahead 54-39. The Dream improved to 14-2 when leading at halftime this season, and the advantage reached 25 points during the third quarter.
Jordin Canada scored 20 points and had 9 assists while surpassing 2,500 career points. Canada has handed out at least 5 assists in 28 games this season.
Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones each scored 15 points. Gray went 5-of-8 from the field with 5 assists and 3 rebounds, while Jones did not miss from the field, going 5-of-5 and adding a 5-of-6 night at the free-throw line. Jones' 15 points were a season high, and all 5 of her baskets came in the second half.
Naz Hillmon added 11 points and recorded the 100th steal of her career.
Atlanta finished 36-of-70 from the field and made 14 of its 32 attempts from beyond the arc, tying its season high for made 3-pointers. Six players scored in double figures for Atlanta, the fourth time the Dream have done so this season. They also assisted on 29 of their 36 made baskets.
Dream coach Karl Smesko said Atlanta expected Toronto to bring more double teams against the post and adjusted to what the Tempo showed.
"I mean, it's just good seeing our team play well," Smesko said. "We're capable of being a really good offensive team and being a consistently good offensive team. What we have is the ability to share the ball, and a lot of people can contribute. It could be anybody's night on a given night, but today it was like everybody's night. Everybody had their moments, and to have so many people in double figures, I think, kind of showed our willingness to share.
"And that's what I really like," Smesko continued. "From the game before, one of the big things that we emphasized is the open person didn't get the ball, and that's not good offense. And then today the open person got the ball, and suddenly you're scoring. Everybody's getting a chance to score, and everybody likes playing that way better."
The victory was the 50th of Smesko's career.
Marina Mabrey Scores 36 for Toronto
Toronto shot 52.2% from the field despite playing from behind for most of the night. Marina Mabrey scored 36 points and made 7 of 13 attempts from 3-point range. She has made at least 7 3-pointers three times this season.
Kiki Rice came off the bench for 18 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Nyara Sabally had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Toronto outscored Atlanta 46-44 in the paint and 8-1 in fast-break points.
Smesko said Atlanta's original plan included picking Mabrey up well beyond the 3-point line.
"Well, like in the first quarter, our game plan was to pick up Marina very early and not let her get anything going," Smesko said. "And she had like three early threes on us in transition. And in transition, she wasn't guarding Rhyne. Rhyne would be guarding her on dead balls. But in transition, you've got to just pick up whoever's closest to you. So I think we got confused in that situation, and we're picking her up maybe three feet outside the three-point line, but that's not her range. Her range is crazy deep. So I thought that hurt us.
"And then really, I thought offensively they were really good in the second half," Smesko explained. "Obviously, Marina, but I thought Kiki had a really good game. She was twisting the ball screens. Even when we took away her right hand, she was going to the left and making good decisions with it."
Brionna Jones Finds Her Offense
Jones' 15 points came in 19 minutes. She said she is still settling into her role with Atlanta and credited her teammates for continuing to trust her.
"I feel like I'm still trying to find my way, find my feet a little bit," Jones said. "I think my teammates have my back. They know what I'm capable of. But it feels good today to be able to get out there and contribute a little bit more. But I think I'm still trying to figure things out and give myself grace. That's been the hardest part for me."
Gray said Atlanta's ball movement and defensive execution helped the Dream maintain their play throughout the game.
"I think just our ball movement and our ability to play off of each other," Gray said. "I think we're continuing to get better at that and we're continuing to work on that... I think on the defensive end, just making sure that we're sticking to the game plan and executing it the way we want to do. So I think the combination of those things definitely helped us out tonight, and we were able to play for 40 minutes."
Gray also went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Atlanta started Canada, Gray, Howard, Hillmon, and Reese, a lineup that improved to 20-8 this season. The Dream are 4-0 all-time against Toronto and 2-0 against the expansion team at Gateway Center Arena. Monday's win completed Atlanta's season sweep.
Toronto played in Dallas on Wednesday, while Atlanta visits Connecticut on Thursday.
