Angel Reese put up big numbers against the Indiana Fever Thursday night, and made it clear that she's focused on growth and continuing to move forward. The Dream managed to keep a gritty Indiana Fever at bay in Indianapolis, and held the team to a 108-101 win that threatened to go into overtime.
Reese ended the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The game winning shot was also hit by Reese after she landed a layup and two free throws with 23 seconds left in the match. Teammate Rhyne Howard, who should absolutely be generating more All-Star conversation than she currently is, had 16 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Naz Hillmon added on 14 points and four rebounds, Jordin Canada had 18 points and five rebounds, and Allisha Gray had 17 points, three assists, and three steals.
The Dream's scoring is reflective of a win that was pulled off with contributions from the entire starting five. The team now boasts a 10-4 record, and are fourth in the league.
The Indiana Fever made a strong attempt at the win
The Fever, who came into the game fresh off a five-game win streak, fought for the win until the very last seconds of the match. Kelsey Mitchell hit her 700th career 3-pointer, and Sophie Cunningham's reverse layup tied the match 93-93 with five minutes left. Unfortunately for the team, that was plenty of time for the Dream to start cooking — something they're abundantly good at doing in the final minutes of matches this season.
Caitlin Clark had 26 points and 7 assists, while Mitchell also racked up 26 points. Cunningham ended the night with 12 points, and Aliyah Boston put up 23 points and eight rebounds of her own.
Despite the loss, the Fever has a lot they can take away from this game and continue to improve on. Boston displayed the ability to get in Reese's way and limit some of her offensive rebounding early in the match, and Monique Billings was an effective contributor in terms of creating opportunities for Clark and her teammates.
The two teams will face one another once again on Saturday, when the Fever travels to Atlanta. This weekend's game will be played at State Farm Arena, which has a capacity of 16,888 people for basketball games — a big jump from Gateaway Center Arena in College Park, where many of the Dream's games are still played.
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