The Chicago Sky faced the Washington Mystics in Angel Reese's first WNBA homecoming to the D.C.-Maryland area. Chicago found themselves down by over 10 in the first half but stormed back and won 79-71 after Reese's tremendous double-double effort. The rookie forward got vocal on her rebounding battles for the Sky after Thursday's game.
Angel Reese shines in homecoming
Reese finished the game with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and a whopping five steals. The 6'3″ forward continues to be a force on the boards, leading the WNBA in offensive rebounding. Reese got brutally honest when asked about being/becoming a great rebounder in the WNBA.
“For me it's kind of a good and a bad thing, because when I go up for layups, I know I can get my rebound before looking at the basket and making the shot,” Reese revealed during the post-game press conference. “I'm trying to be more efficient around the basket. But I know if I don't make a layup or my teammates don't make a shot, I'm gonna go try to get a second effort and get another attempt for us.”
“I think this is what the team needed from me. They needed me to step into that role and just rebound, play defense, and bring a lot of energy. So coming into the league I knew that was going to translate and everything else [will come],” Reese added.
Angel Reese has certainly played her role well. Playing in front of her hometown on Thursday only gave her more fuel to continue her ascent.
“A lot of them have watched me since I was like four. A lot of them have seen me grow up and grow into the woman I am right now and continue to grow into. It's just a blessing. It's surreal for me,” Reese said. “Being able to continue to grow and have my family in the crowd watching is just a great feeling.”
The Sky will need Reese her to continue to be a glass-cleaning lockdown to compete with other interior forces in the WNBA. Reese's rebounding was not the only positive note from Chicago's comeback victory.
Sky received Teresa Weatherspoon, bench boost to spark Mystics comeback
Things were not looking great for Chicago late in the first half. The Mystics' biggest lead of the game was 13 and the Sky were down by nine going into halftime. Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon revealed her stern message that motivated the team to wake up.
“The most important thing was we have to have better energy, and we must be better offensively. I think the execution offensively wasn't there. Our schemes weren't there, and it takes a lot of energy to do that…You do or don't, there's no in-between,” Weatherspoon shared.
Chicago took Weatherspoon's words to heart and outscored Washington 25-10 in the third quarter. Much of the Sky's momentum was thanks to their outstanding bench play. Chennedy Carter continued to be a stellar sparkplug off the bench. She scored a game-high 25 points. Meanwhile, veteran forward Isabelle Harrison ended with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Angel Reese and the Sky look to continue their momentum into their next matchup against the Atlanta Dream on June 8th.
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