Angel Reese put together her best game of the WNBA Finals Wednesday night, and the Atlanta Dream rode it to a commanding 97-71 Game 3 win over the Golden State Valkyries, seizing a 2-1 series lead in front of a raucous State Farm Arena crowd.

Reese finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, controlling the paint from the opening tip as Atlanta built a double-digit lead and never let Golden State back into the game. The Dream outscored the Valkyries 51-32 in the final two quarters, turning a tight first half into a rout. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points, eight assists and three steals, but the Valkyries shot poorly from the field all night, according to ESPN's game boxscore.

An expansion team's historic run hits a wall

The loss is the first real setback of the postseason for Golden State, which became the fastest expansion franchise in WNBA history to reach the Finals in just its second year of existence. The Valkyries swept the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, capped by an overtime win in which Kayla Thornton scored 18 points.

Atlanta, for its part, arrived in the Finals after sweeping the New York Liberty in the semifinal round. Wednesday's win was the clearest statement yet that the Dream, led by Reese's physical interior play, intend to finish the job on their home floor.

WE CAME TO FINISH THIS

Game 3 had originally been scheduled for later in the week before the league moved it up, part of a Finals schedule that has already seen several adjustments. With the series now shifting to a 2-1 Atlanta advantage, the Dream will have a chance to close out the championship at home in Game 4, also at State Farm Arena, rather than having to win on the road.

Golden State will need to find an offensive answer quickly to extend the series. The Valkyries shot well below their postseason average through the first three quarters and never found the outside shooting that carried them through the semifinals against Las Vegas. Atlanta's defense, anchored by Reese and a deep frontcourt rotation, held Golden State to its lowest scoring output of the playoffs.

The Finals have drawn significant attention this postseason as a clash of styles: Atlanta's rebuilt, physical roster around Reese against a Golden State team that vaulted into title contention only a year after its inaugural season. Attendance and television ratings for the series have been among the strongest in recent WNBA Finals history, league officials have noted, as both fan bases rally behind teams with starkly different stories.

Game 4 is set for State Farm Arena, with Atlanta holding home-court advantage for the remainder of the series. Should the Valkyries force a fifth game, the series would return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all finish.