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Angel Reese Explains Why Isobel Borlase Looks ‘Fearless’ in WNBA Finals
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- Angel Reese Explains Why Isobel Borlase Looks ‘Fearless’ in WNBA Finals
(Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
Isobel Borlase scored 12 points off the bench Wednesday night as the Atlanta Dream beat the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena.
The rookie guard shot 5-of-10 from the field and added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 26 minutes. Her points, field goals, and rebounds were all career playoff highs, according to the league's postgame notes. She did not commit a turnover.
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Atlanta outscored Golden State by 21 points with Borlase on the floor, the best plus-minus in the game. The Dream lead the series 2-1.
Borlase's first basket came on an 11-foot pull-up with 8:27 left in the second quarter, off an Angel Reese pass. With 2:09 left in the half, she hit a 3-pointer that put Atlanta ahead 43-34.
Golden State tied the game twice early in the third quarter. Rhyne Howard and Reese then put the Dream back ahead, and Borlase finished a driving layup off another Reese assist with 5:55 left for a 55-49 lead.
Borlase Makes Her Mark in Third Quarter
Her best stretch came late in the quarter.
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Borlase grabbed a defensive rebound on an Aminata Gueye miss and scored on the other end in transition with 2:44 left, making it 64-55. Twenty-two seconds later, she blocked a Kaitlyn Chen drive and came away with the rebound.
The Dream were plus-14 in her 7:45 on the floor in the third quarter.
Reese said Borlase came into the year wanting to fix her defense.
"Her confidence," Reese said. "You can tell she looks fearless. And I think it's because she also knows we have her back. And we pouring into her so much, but she just continues to trust her work. She puts in the work every single day. She comes in and gets extra shots. And she said that she wanted to be better defensively, and she has. You can see it. She said she didn't want to be a liability."
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"And you can tell on the court, she's continued to step her defense up," Reese continued. "You can't ISO her easily because she's just there and she's solid. And I'm just really happy for Izzy. She continues to be that little piece that we really need."
Dream Have Seen Borlase Grow Defensively
Atlanta drafted Borlase with the 20th overall pick in 2024. She did not join the Dream until this season, after winning MVP of Australia's Women's National Basketball League in 2025-26 with the Bendigo Spirit.
She led the league at 22.9 points per game. The Dream signed her to a rookie-scale contract on April 12.
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She is 21.
In the fourth quarter, Borlase hit a 6-foot floater off an Allisha Gray pass for an 82-65 lead with 5:29 left. Fifty-six seconds later, she found DeWanna Bonner in transition for a layup that made it 86-65.
For Naz Hillmon, the comparison point is the regular season.
"She's been huge for us," Hillmon said. "I think to that point of her defense, if you go back and watch when we played Golden State, completely different Izzy — completely different team for the most part. She's just done a really good job of trusting her work, like Angel said, watching her film and continuing to not make the same mistakes. And I think that's what's really helped her be successful at such a young age."
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Borlase had 5 points in the first half and 7 after halftime. Four of her 5 rebounds came in the second half.
Borlase Gives Atlanta Another Bench Weapon
Atlanta's bench scored 27 points. Bonner had 7, and Sika Kone scored 5 in the final 1:36. Madina Okot, also a rookie and the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, had 3 points and a block in the same stretch.
Golden State's bench outscored Atlanta's with 38 points. Tiffany Hayes had 14, and Janelle Salaün added 13 on 5-of-7 shooting.
Reese led the Dream with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Howard added 16 points, and Hillmon had 15.
Borlase's career playoff night gave Atlanta another example of the growth Reese and Hillmon have seen throughout the season, particularly on the defensive end.
Game 4 is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena.
