COLLEGE PARK – At the beginning of the week, Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard were celebrating with champagne bottles after Team USA took home gold in the FIBA World Cup. Both players had roles coming off the bench for the team, but they had a huge impact on helping them get to the finish line.

Days later, they were back on U.S. soil facing the Connecticut Sun with four games remaining until the playoffs. If they took anything else from the FIBA play other than the medal and champagne, it was a burning desire to win, and that's what they did, defeating the Sun, 103-59.

It was Reese who led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and if it's anybody who's ready to lace them up for a playoff series, it's her.

“I was ready to play today,” Reese said after the game. “Especially with this team, knowing how good we are, knowing how I felt after the last win against Minnesota, and right now it's important to make sure we're setting a tone and leaving a taste in everybody's mouth about what the playoffs are going to look like, and no matter what team we're playing against, we have to be consistent every single day and every single game.

“I want to play the first round right now, but obviously, we just have to continue to just be ready and look forward to these games right now and then get ready for the playoffs.”

It was a sluggish first half for the Dream, but they were still able to sustain a double-digit lead. It wasn't until the second half that they locked in and took full control of the game, and led by as much as 40 points.

“I would say we did have a surge, but it didn't start until the second half. We had a good, hard talk at halftime, just being able to make sure that we're taking care of ourselves,” Reese said. “We're getting a job done that we need to be getting done. We're still fighting for something come playoffs, so we're making sure that we handle our business and that we don't leave anything up to anybody else.”

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Reese didn't leave anything for anybody on the Sun, and took advantage of every opportunity she had on the floor. It was the typical Reese game, but she took it up a notch, which is perfect timing with the playoffs near. This will be her first time in the playoffs, and she seems ready for the moment.

“I believe we're going to go all the way. Obviously, it's gonna be a lot of chatter on the outside, but as long as we continue to focus on what's in our locker room, that's all that matters,” Reese said. “[DeWanna Bonner] came in and was telling us about how important it is right now to be together, and she's obviously played a lot in the playoffs. She's won a championship or two, and she knows what it takes to win. When you have people in the locker room that know, it gives you that leverage, and I'm excited.”

Though the Dream have had a playoff spot for some time, they still hold the cards as to where they finish in the standings. They're currently the No. 4 seed, but with how close every team is, there could be a lot of movement in the next week or so.

For the Dream, they know they need to control what they can control.

“We know what's going on around the standings. We’re making sure that we take care of business ourselves,”Rhyne Howard said. “We're not gonna be like, ‘Oh, we need them to lose. We need them to do this.’ 

“We got to handle ourselves and make sure that we handle everything that we can, everything that is to our capability. If we end up at home it should be deserved.”