Dream HC Calls Out Refs, Defends Angel Reese After 'Ridiculous' Contact vs. Valkyries in WNBA Finals

Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko was not happy with the officiating coming out of his team's 64-55 loss to the Golden State Valkyries in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Smesko called out the "ridiculous" contact Golden State got away with on the defensive end against Angel Reese.

"I give [the Valkyries] credit for playing good defense, they're known for their defense," Smesko said. "But I want to have Angel's back here. The contact on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous. Just ridiculous. You can't be at this level and make that many mistakes."

Dream-Valkyries Highlights

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Echoing Smesko's comments about the officiating, Reese noted she has felt a change in the calls over the past two games.

The Dream only attempted 14 free throws in Game 5 after averaging 29 attempts in the first four games. They were called for three more fouls than Golden State (17-14), despite having a 14-13 advantage in free-throw attempts.

Neither offense covered itself in glory on Monday night. The two teams combined for 47 points in the first half, making it the lowest-scoring first half in a Finals game ever.

The Dream and Valkyries connected on just 34.1 percent of their field-goal attempts, including 12-of-50 from three-point range. These were the top two defensive teams in the league during the regular season, and that has played out for most of this series.

Golden State has won back-to-back games after falling behind in the series 2-1. The Valkyries can close out things out in Game 6 on the road at State Farm Arena on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET.