On October 4, 2026, in Atlanta, Jordin Canada gave the Atlanta Dream a remarkably uneven scoring performance: five points before halftime, then 20 afterward. She finished with 25 points and five steals as Atlanta beat the New York Liberty 92–82 in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series. Four-fifths of her scoring arrived after the break, just when the game turned decisively toward the Dream.
The Associated Press report and Field Level Media’s independent account both confirm that second-half split. The calculation is simple but revealing: 20 divided by 25 is 80 percent. A final total alone would hide how heavily Canada’s contribution was concentrated in the latter half of the afternoon.
A three-point deficit became a 14-point lead
New York led 40–37 at halftime. Atlanta then won the third quarter 32–15, turning that three-point deficit into a 69–55 advantage. The official WNBA game record confirms the quarter scores, while Field Level Media describes the burst that gave the Dream control. The 17-point difference within that quarter explains the swing more clearly than the ten-point final margin.
Canada’s second-half scoring was therefore more than a late addition to an already settled result. It came during a game in which Atlanta had needed to reverse the lead, then protect it. Her points helped make the second half look very different from the first.
The shooting line behind the surge
Canada made nine of her 14 shots from the field, including four of six three-point attempts, and converted all three free throws. Those figures appear in both the league’s box score and Her Hoop Stats’ statistical record. They also account exactly for her 25 points: five two-point baskets supplied ten, four threes supplied 12, and the free throws supplied three.
That breakdown matters because the scoring surge came with efficient shooting. Canada’s four three-pointers contributed nearly half her points. Readers can trace the headline total back to specific kinds of baskets rather than treating it as an isolated number.
Five steals completed the picture
The other striking figure was defensive. Canada had five steals, confirmed in the official box score, the independent statistics and the league’s dedicated highlight sequence. Atlanta forced 21 New York turnovers and scored 32 points from those possessions, according to both game reports. Her individual defensive activity belonged to a broader team pattern that repeatedly turned lost Liberty possessions into Dream scoring opportunities.
New York still reduced the gap to five late in the fourth quarter. Canada answered with a three-pointer during Atlanta’s closing response, a play documented by both reports. The afternoon’s unusual detail remained the distribution: only a fifth of her points came before halftime, while the remaining four-fifths helped Atlanta turn a deficit into a semifinal-opening victory.
Sources and further reading
- WNBA — official Game 1 box score
- Associated Press — game report hosted by WNBA
- Field Level Media — independent game report via AOL
- Her Hoop Stats — independent statistical box score
- WNBA — Canada’s five-steal highlight
