That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Alan Cole The Associated Press
In Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, DeWanna Bonner scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and made key steals for Atlanta Dream in a 92-82 victory over New York Liberty. Despite playing only her eighth game with the team after signing as an unrestricted free agent on August 27, Bonner stepped into a crucial role when leading scorer Allisha Gray was injured early in the game. Coach Karl Smesko praised Bonner’s veteran presence and ability to adjust on the fly, noting her impact both defensively and offensively throughout the fourth quarter.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The New York Liberty face the red-hot Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series on Sunday. The Dream swept the Washington Mystics with a 93-75 victory, while the Liberty became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed by sweeping the Minnesota Lynx. However, the Liberty's performance dropped significantly in Game 1 against Atlanta, losing 92-82 due to numerous turnovers and strong defense from Angel Reese and Jordin Canada. Despite missing key player Allisha Gray due to injury, the Dream dominated with Canada scoring 25 points and making five steals. The series now shifts to a crucial Game 2 in Atlanta on Wednesday.
Written for “WNBA Semifinals Liberty Versus Dream” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
When leading scorer Allisha Gray went down with a left hand injury early in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, the Atlanta Dream needed someone to step up.
asserted
Dream → go → someone
Playing in just her eighth game with the franchise, 39-year-old DeWanna Bonner provided everything the Dream needed.
asserted
Dream → play → everything
Bonner had 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in over 30 minutes off the bench, helping Atlanta stabilize and eventually pull away in a 92-82 victory over the New York Liberty.
asserted
Atlanta → have → Liberty
“I’m still learning a lot,” Bonner said.
asserted
Bonner → learn → lot
“My head is always spinning, because I’m learning new people, learning the plays, learning the city, but they just made it easy.”
asserted
it → spin → city
Bonner, who has played in a WNBA record 101 playoff games, signed with Atlanta as an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 27.
asserted
who → play → Aug.
It was a rare late season addition for a team desperate to finally find playoff success after three consecutive first round exits, and the six-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion felt like the final piece of the puzzle.
asserted
Star → find → puzzle
“We tried to get her a couple times and it just never worked out,” Dream head coach Karl Smesko said.
asserted
Smesko → try → her
“I just thought she was exactly what we needed.
asserted
we → think → what
Not just because she is a veteran presence and all of those things, but because she still plays like she did tonight.
asserted
she → play → things
When we needed a play, she made it.
asserted
she → need → it
Heading into Sunday she was averaging 20 minutes and nine points per game in a sporadic role, but Gray’s injury shrunk the rotation and forced her into more action.
asserted
injury → head → action
She played every second of the fourth quarter and all but two minutes of the second half, making crucial plays at both ends of the floor and in the locker room after Atlanta went into the intermission trailing 40-37.
asserted
Atlanta → play → intermission
“DB got into us,” Jordin Canada said about the message at halftime.
asserted
Canada → get → halftime
“We said coming out into the third quarter that we talk about a second half surge, and that the first three minutes of the game in the second half was going to be really important.
asserted
minutes → say → half
We came out ready to go.”
asserted
We → come → ?
Bonner opened the fourth quarter with an offensive rebound and score on a putback, and knocked down a 3-pointer to take the lead back into double-figures after New York had closed to within eight.
asserted
York → open → eight
“She played multiple positions,” Smesko said.
asserted
Smesko → play → positions
“She guarded people that were MVPs in this league.
asserted
that → guard → league
She moved positions in this game when she hasn’t even been practicing really in that position.
asserted
she → move → position
But she adjusts and is able to flow in it just because she has so much basketball experience.
asserted
she → adjust → experience
She has a sense of what she should do on a play even if she never ran the play before, and she just knows where the ball should move and what the next action should be.
asserted
action → have → play
She has a lot of enthusiasm about her, but she also has a calming presence about her.
asserted
she → have → her
”
Atlanta is now 8-0 with Bonner, and moved two wins away from its first trip to the WNBA Finals since 2013.
asserted
Atlanta → move → 2013
The Aporia
