The Atlanta Dream continue to look like a legitimate championship contender, routing the Toronto Tempo 102-77 on Sunday afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
However, it was a third-quarter scuffle between former teammates Angel Reese and Isabelle Harrison that became a talking point, sparking reactions across the WNBA community.
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Tensions Flare During Angel Reese’s Altercation With Former Teammate Isabelle Harrison
The Tempo actually looked like the better team out of the gate, building a 12-point lead in the first quarter, feeding off the energy of the raucous crowd.
But the Dream did not panic, going on a 34-14 surge in the second quarter that erased the early deficit and left Toronto completely reeling. Atlanta was fueled by yet another dominant performance from Reese, who proved unstoppable on the glass, finishing with 15 points and 17 rebounds.
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However, the night wasn’t without drama, as the boiling point came in the third quarter with the Tempo trailing 52-42.
Reese got possession under the basket and tried to power her way to the rim, but Harrison wrapped both arms around Reese from behind and dragged her to the hardwood.
Tensions escalated, with both teams and the officials rushing in to intervene between the former teammates.
The two-time rebounding leader was visibly emotional, while Harrison’s physical takedown was initially ruled a common foul on the floor before being upgraded to a Flagrant 2, resulting in an automatic ejection.
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The incident sparked an immediate wave of reactions across social media, with players, analysts, and fans sounding off.
Natasha Cloud made her feelings known on the moment with a series of posts on Threads.
“Love how Izzy was cooking her sh*t, and matching her energy. The refs shouldn’t have ejected her,” one user asserted.
“This Angel and Izzy sh*t is hilarious 😭😭😭😭😭,” another bluntly remarked.
“Angel Reese couldn’t hold back her emotions after taking a Flagrant 2 foul 🥺,” Just Women’s Sports highlighted.
“Not ejection worthy. She was locking angel up and they kicked her outta the game after angel flopped. Trash league, trash refs,” another account boldly claimed.
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Under WNBA rules, a Flagrant 2 foul carries two flagrant points and an automatic $1,000 fine for Harrison.
Before her ejection, Harrison was the lone bright spot for the expansion Tempo, recording a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and grabbing 3 rebounds.
Toronto’s offense stalled without her, dropping to 7-7.
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After the game, Atlanta head coach Karl Smesko discussed Reese dealing with the physical matchup and said,
“It’s one of those situations where she’s going to be inside, she’s going to be physical, and sometimes not getting the calls, you know, have to manage it… I thought she [Reese] did that tonight, and I think that’s a large reason why she had such a great second half of the game.”
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Atlanta (9-4) will look to keep its momentum rolling and secure its 10th win of the season when it travels to Indianapolis to face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday.
