Three years after cutting down the nets together in Dallas, the teacher was courtside to watch her “Bayou Barbie” take over women’s basketball’s grandest stage. With Angel Reese dominating the WNBA Finals, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey had to pull up in person to support her former franchise cornerstone. For Mulkey and Reese, whose electric partnership delivered LSU’s historic 2023 national championship, the courtside reunion served as a powerful reminder of how far their shared journey has come—from Baton Rouge to the pinnacle of the professional game.

Angel Reese told the city of Atlanta to “pull up and pop out” for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena—and her former college coach made sure to be in the building, heaping praise on the former seventh pick.

“I’m so happy for her and proud of her, and I think in the last month she has been the MVP of this league in so many ways, and I’m just grateful to be here, cheer on, and, Go Dream,” said Mulkey.

And it seems that having her former coach by her side worked for Reese, as she continued her dominant run in the Finals. Reese and Co. called an audible as they hammered the Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3.

Reese made her presence felt on both ends of the floor and finished with a game high of 21 points, going 7-for-12 from the field, and added 12 rebounds and 3 steals. Reese is now only the second player in WNBA history to record 15+ PTS, 7+ REB, and 2+ STL in the opening half of a Finals game, joining Nneka Ogwumike, who achieved the feat in 2016.

Also, Reese now stands as the youngest player in league history to tally 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in consecutive Finals contests. She joins A’ja Wilson as the only two players in WNBA annals to achieve the feat.

The game’s final scoreline reveals what it really was: a pretty one-sided contest at times. The Dream led by as many as 26 points at one point. Turnovers were a problem for the Valkyries again in this game, as they committed 15 turnovers, compared to the Dream’s 8. This ended up costing Golden State a staggering 22 points.

Angel Reese wasn’t the only Dream player making history tonight. Reese was joined by teammate Jordin Canada, who dished out seven assists in the opening half of the game, marking her third straight first half with at least seven assists in the 2026 WNBA Finals. Canada is now tied for the most halves in Finals history with seven or more assists, with three.

Also, putting all the criticism about woeful shooting in the past two games aside, the Dream improved their FG% in this game to 49, converting 34 of their 69 shots from the field. But it seems the Valkyries are still hovering near their mark from the previous two games, making just 24 of their 69 shots.

Gabby Williams finished as the Valkyries’ top scorer, with 15 points, but could convert only five of 18 shots from the field. Cecilia Zandalasini added another 13 points for the Golden State.

If Reese’s words are to be believed, then the Valkyries will need to be very careful in the rest of the series, especially now that they trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“I think it’s just the start,” said Reese before the game. “Throughout the entire year, we just continue to stick together and know who we are. We have the city behind us. We have the team. We have the coaches and everybody rallying behind us. It feels really good. It’s just the next step of who Atlanta is and who Atlanta is going to continue to be for the next couple of years.”

With a solid 2-1 lead heading into Game 4, the Dream will look to take a commanding and near-unassailable lead in the next game, which will also be hosted at the State Farm Arena. The next game becomes a must-win for the Valkyries.