Dream vs. Liberty: Angel Reese and Naz Hillmon Win Semifinals Game 2 in OT as Atlanta Goes Up 2-0

Naz Hillmon did not score a single point in Game 1. In Game 2, she scored the one basket that mattered most. With 20.8 seconds left in overtime and Atlanta down one, Hillmon finished a layup off a Rhyne Howard feed to put the Dream ahead for good.

Angel Reese finished with 23 points, six of them among Atlanta's 13 in overtime, as the Dream edged New York 101-98 at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night and moved ahead 2-0 in the best-of-five semifinals. Breanna Stewart scored 35 for New York, and it still was not enough.

Stewart Catches Fire Early

If you only watched Stewart in the first half, you would have assumed New York was cruising. She scored 25 of her 35 points before the break, and the Liberty shot the lights out on their way to 55 percent shooting for the night. The game was tied 26-26 after one quarter, New York nudged ahead 29-26 early in the second, and then Atlanta answered with 10 straight points to go up 36-29.

That set the tone for a night with 17 lead changes. Atlanta led 56-54 at halftime and 75-74 after three quarters, and nobody ever led by more than eight.

Regulation's Wild Final Two Minutes

Atlanta looked like it had finally created separation late in the fourth. Howard's free throws, a Reese layup and a Howard three-point play with 1:55 left made it 86-80. Then the Liberty went full chaos mode. Sabrina Ionescu hit a 24-footer to make it 86-83, Atlanta then let the shot clock expire with 31 seconds left, giving New York another crack, and Stewart scored on a quick drive through traffic to make it 86-85.

New York fouled, and Reese made both free throws for an 88-85 lead with 14.5 seconds left. Marine Fauthoux, off a Stewart pass, answered with a 24-foot 3 with 10.3 seconds to go to tie it at 88. Howard's last-second floater from midrange rolled off the rim, and we got five more minutes.

Overtime Ping-Pong

The extra period felt like a tennis rally with a shot clock. Atlanta scored the first five points on a Howard three-point play and a Reese layup for a 93-88 lead. New York responded with eight straight: a Fauthoux 26-footer, a Leonie Fiebich layup and a Jonquel Jones 24-foot 3 at 2:01 that put the Liberty up 96-93.

Jordin Canada answered with a short jumper. Reese scored off a Hillmon assist with 44.3 seconds left for a 97-96 lead. Stewart answered with a layup off an Ionescu feed with 33.8 left to put New York back in front 98-97. Then Hillmon's layup flipped it one final time.

The last sequence was a mess for New York. Atlanta forced a jump ball on the Liberty's first try at a final possession, New York won the tip, and then Ionescu overthrew a pass. Reese made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left, and Stewart missed a desperation attempt at the end. Per the AP, Stewart said the officials told New York it did not have a reset left to advance the ball.

Angel Reese, Closer

Reese finished with 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, made all six of her free throws, pulled down seven rebounds, five on the offensive end, and posted a game-best plus-11. She was everywhere in overtime, and she credited the group.

"We really stayed together and played together, and that's how we won," Reese said.

Canada matched her with 23 points and added eight assists on 9-of-15 shooting. Howard shot 5 of 20 but went 6 of 6 at the line, scored 18 and made the pass on the winner after logging 44 minutes. Hillmon also played 44 minutes and finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers. Rookie Isobel Borlase added 11 off the bench, hitting three 3s.

All of this came without Allisha Gray, Atlanta's leading scorer, who missed the game with a left hand injury.

New York's Big Three Plus One

Stewart's line was monstrous: 35 points on 11-of-21 shooting, 11 rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes. Jones added 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting with four blocks, though she also had six turnovers. Fauthoux was the surprise, scoring 20 off the bench on 8-of-10 shooting, 4 of 6 from deep, before fouling out. Ionescu had 10 points and seven assists but went 2 of 6 at the line.

New York shot 55 percent and still lost, because it turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 28 Atlanta points, and because Atlanta took 84 shots to New York's 64.

Down Three, Not Done

Down 96-93 with under two minutes left in overtime, after watching a five-point lead evaporate, Atlanta did not blink. Canada's jumper, Reese's layup and Hillmon's winner followed, and Reese's free throws iced it. The Liberty had the momentum, the shooting percentage and Stewart. Atlanta had the last word.

How Atlanta Survived 55 Percent Shooting

• 28: Atlanta's points off 17 New York turnovers.
• 84-64: Field goal attempts, Dream over Liberty.
• 21 of 23: Atlanta at the free-throw line.
• 11-5: The Dream's edge on the offensive glass.
• 13-10: Atlanta's overtime margin.

One Win From the Finals

Atlanta leads the series 2-0 and is one win from its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013, per the AP. The Dream are 4-0 in these playoffs and have won nine straight games dating back to the regular season.

New York now needs three straight wins, starting with Game 3 on Friday in New York. Stewart is not panicking.

"This group has experience. I've been part of some crazy series and I have a lot of confidence in our group," Stewart said.

Groundhog Day for New York

For New York, this series is starting to feel like Groundhog Day. Play well enough to win, watch Atlanta make one more play, wake up and do it again. The Liberty shot 55 percent and got 35 from their superstar. They are still down 2-0.

"Everybody was locked in on what those plays were, and they went out there and executed them," Dream coach Karl Smesko said. On Wednesday, that was the whole story.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press.