Angel Reese turned in a dominant performance as her Chicago Sky defeated Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever 88-87 in a regular season matchup on Sunday (June 23).
Reese poured in a career-high 25 points to go along with 16 rebounds, marking her ninth consecutive game with 10 rebounds or more. Following the Sky’s win over the Fever, Reese attributed her individual performance to her tenacity and grit, which she says are innate traits that can’t be coached.
“I’m a dog,” the No. 7 overall draft pick said while speaking with ESPN shortly after the matchup. “You can’t teach that.”
The Sky’s victory over the Fever improves their regular season record to 6-9 and comes after the Fever defeated the Sky in their two previous matchups. The two teams will meet one more time this regular season, as the Fever will travel to Chicago to face off against the Sky on Aug. 30.
Indiana’s star player and No. 1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark also compiled an impressive statline in the Fever’s defeat, scoring 17 points, dishing out 13 assists, and pulling down 6 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Fever’s loss brings their regular season record to 7-11, the second worst record in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference and one spot behind the Sky. Currently on a two-game win streak, Chicago would receive a playoff berth if the season were to end today.
The past month has seen Reese garner headlines for her play on the court and her comments in the press regarding her impact on the increased popularity of the WNBA. The former LSU Lady Tiger recently acknowledged her own role in the uptick of fanfare and support surrounding the league, which she feels has been unsung in comparison to the praise bestowed upon top draft pick Caitlin Clark.
“People are pulling up to games, we got celebrities coming to games, sold-out arenas,” Reese said of the attention the WNB has received thus far this season.
“Just because of one single game and just looking at that, like, I’ll take that role,” she added, alluding to the NCAA womens basketball championship matchup between LSU and the University of Iowa, which LSU won, birthing a rivalry between Reese and Clark.
“I’ll take the ‘bad guy’ role and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates… And if I wanna be that and I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person, it’s because of me, too.’ And I want y’all to realize that.”
See Angel Reese’s post-game comments below.
“I’m a dog. You can’t teach that…”Angel Reese reveals her motivation behind leading the Sky to victory against the Fever pic.twitter.com/yXfTYco6FL
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 23, 2024
