Breanna Stewart Wants Angel Reese to Pay Fine for Triggering Rare Technical Foul
The New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream played a thrilling close game with major seeding implications. The Dream’s 95-84 victory solidified their hold on the No. 4 seed, while the Liberty might now have to play the 1-8 first-round matchup against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. They just beat the Lynx on the weekend, but Minnesota still isn’t a team anyone wants to see in the first round.
The loss also snapped an impressive streak for Breanna Stewart. She picked up her first technical foul since 2017. It was also just her third technical foul of her career. With about two minutes left in the game and the Dream up eight points, Stewart drove to the basket. Angel Reese stole the ball out of her hands. Upset at the no-call, Stewart complained to the refs and was called for a technical foul.
Breanna Stewart picked up her 3rd career tech tonight 😮 pic.twitter.com/rhWPSFYvrT
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) September 22, 2026
“That absolutely was for the no-call,” Stewart said when asked about the tech in the postgame press conference, per a video on the Liberty’s YouTube channel. “She slapped the s--t out of my hand.”
Liberty reporter Myles Ehrlich also shared on X that Stewart said Reese should pay her fine on her way out of the press conference.
On the way out of the press conference, Stewie shouted back, "Angel should pay my fine." And when @alexaphilippou asked if she told her that, she said yes. https://t.co/30fbgHeQ9R
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) September 22, 2026
Reese and Stewart both played strong games
While Stewart undoubtedly isn’t happy with the overall result, she played a very strong individual game. She recorded 27 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The one big negative in her box score is her four turnovers. Still, she was the Liberty’s most productive player and kept her team within striking distance for much of the game.
Reese also continued her hot streak, finishing the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. While she missed all three of her 3-point attempts, she still shot 50% from the field. Moreover, she made timely defensive plays, like the block on Stewart, and pushed the pace for the Dream.
The Liberty and Dream will play another big game on Wednesday
The three most important games left in the regular season at this point are two matchups between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever and the rematch between the Dream and Liberty.
Fans should expect another thrilling game between New York and Atlanta. Both teams want to go into the playoffs with as much momentum and confidence as possible. Beating another playoff team, even if it’s not their first-round opponent, helps with that.
For the Dream, another win would go a long way towards securing home-court advantage in a likely first-round matchup with the Fever. If the Dream win, they will have one more win than the Fever, even if they beat the Lynx twice. However, if the Dream lose, the Fever have a chance to overtake them by beating the Lynx twice.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.