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Creamline Shakes Off Slow Start to Beat Galeries Tower in Four

Tots Carlos and Jema Galanza led a deep Creamline response as the Cool Smashers dropped the first set, then ran away from Galeries Tower.

Published

9 hours ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Creamline Shakes Off Slow Start to Beat Galeries Tower in Four

Creamline showed its championship pedigree on Saturday, shaking off a rare first-set stumble to defeat Galeries Tower 27-29, 25-18, 25-19, 25-18 at the FilOil Centre in San Juan and force a three-way tie atop the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab series.

Tots Carlos spearheaded the Cool Smashers with 13 points. Jema Galanza delivered a stellar all-around line of 12 points, 12 excellent digs and 11 receptions, and Alyssa Valdez chipped in 10 markers. Bea de Leon anchored the net with eight points, including four blocks, Michele Gumabao and Pangs Panaga added seven points each, and setter Jia de Guzman orchestrated the attack with 16 excellent sets.

The numbers told the story after the opening frame: Creamline overwhelmed Galeries Tower in attack points 71-50 and blocks 9-4 across the two-hour, eight-minute match. The Highrisers actually won the service battle 9-2 in aces, and Erika Deloria fought valiantly with a match-high 21 points, backed by Shola Alvarez with 11 and Jean Asis with nine, but the depth gap showed in the final three sets, which Creamline won by seven, six and seven points.

“We had a slow start, we had a hard time to execute where we had to deal with our basic errors, including blocking on the right side,” Carlos said. The win pulled Creamline level with Nxled and Choco Mucho at 2-0 in the early standings, while Galeries slid to its second consecutive defeat.

Photo: PVL

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Royal Jones

We Speak Sports

Angel Reese’s Historic Night Powers Dream Past Valkyries 97-71 for 2-1 Finals Lead

Angel Reese had 21 points and 12 rebounds to become the first player in WNBA history with a double-double in each of her first three Finals games, and the Atlanta Dream routed the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.

Published

4 hours ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Angel Reese high-fives Jordin Canada during WNBA Finals Game 3

The Atlanta Dream turned their first home game of the WNBA Finals into a statement. Behind another commanding performance from Angel Reese, Atlanta blew out the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,099 at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and setting a franchise record for points in a Finals game.

Watch the official Game 3 highlights:

Atlanta’s defense set the tone from the opening tip. The Dream held Golden State scoreless for the first five minutes, and the Valkyries did not make a field goal until Aminata Gueye’s hook shot with 4:38 left in the first quarter. Atlanta led 23-15 after one and 46-40 at halftime.

Golden State made its push early in the third quarter, tying the game at 49. Reese answered personally, fueling an 8-0 run and capping it with a coast-to-coast driving layup. After the Valkyries trimmed the margin to 59-55, the Dream closed the quarter by scoring 12 of the final 14 points to carry a 71-57 lead into the fourth, then outscored Golden State 26-14 the rest of the way. Atlanta has now outscored Golden State 63-35 in third quarters across the series.

Angel Reese celebrates with Rhyne Howard during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena. (AP Photo)

Reese finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. She is the first player in WNBA history to record a double-double in each of her first three Finals games, the youngest player ever with three straight double-doubles in the Finals, and she joined A’ja Wilson as the only players to post 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive Finals games. She also went 2-for-2 from three-point range; Atlanta is 14-0 this season when Reese makes a three.

“Time to take over. Do whatever it takes to win,” Reese said. “Everybody was just playing together. It’s fun when you win and you play with a great group. So it makes my job super easy.”

Rhyne Howard added 16 points and five steals, becoming the first player in league history with five steals in consecutive Finals games. Naz Hillmon scored 15, Isobel Borlase added 12 off the bench, and Jordin Canada finished with 10 points and eight assists. Atlanta shot 49.3 percent from the field, hit nine three-pointers and owned the paint, 44-20.

Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points, Tiffany Hayes scored 14, and Janelle Salaün and Cecilia Zandalasini added 13 apiece. But the Valkyries shot just 34.8 percent and committed 17 turnovers, which Atlanta converted into 22 points. “Sometimes, promises aren’t kept,” Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said.

Game 4 is Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena, televised on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Atlanta, playing in its first Finals since 2013, is now two wins away from the first championship in franchise history.