While the Phoenix Mercury may have blown out the Chicago Sky 86-68 on Sunday, the loss still offers fans a silver lining. During the game, rookie sensation Angel Reese made WNBA history as the fastest player to reach 20 double-doubles in one season. In her 35 minutes of play, Reese scored 19 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. Her current dominance on the glass also gives Reese a solid chance of breaking more records.
The former 7th round pick is averaging 13.4 points and 12.0 rebounds for the Sky, who are now eighth in the league with a record of 11-16. Heading into the playoffs, the Sky surely want to bounce back from their speedy elimination last season versus the eventual WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces.
Angel Reese's rebounding dominance for the Sky
Besides this new record-setting performance, Angel Reese already has the WNBA record for most rebounds by a rookie per game. Her current pace also means she is on track to break the rookie records of Tina Charles in 2010 with 398 boards and Sylvia Fowles in 2018 with 404.
Along with the Indiana Fever's record-breaking rookie superstar Caitlin Clark, Reese has also jumpstarted a surge in viewers for the WNBA, meaning the league might have found its new faces for the foreseeable future.
Still, the team itself might experience more growing pains before they reach their full potential while building around its core of Reese, fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso, and star Chennedy Carter. Despite the loss, they remain the eighth seed in the league, with a record of 11-16, holding only a two-game lead over the Atlanta Dream. The Sky are also down two games from seventh, which the Fever hold.
Game recap
This blowout loss to a team with battle-tested players such as stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner just proves that the Sky still have a lot of work to do. Taurasi led the charge in the first quarter, scoring 12 of her 23 points as the Mercury blitzed the Sky 32-19, building a lead that they held for almost 38 minutes. Besides Taurasi, Sophie Cunningham also recorded her first WNBA double-double with 13 points and a career-best 10 rebounds, while Griner contributed with 18 points.
Another contributor to the Mercury was Monique Billings, who had signed a seven-day contract with the team prior to the game. In her 23 minutes of action, Billings contributed with 13 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Besides Reese, Chennedy Carter scored 16 points, hauled six boards, and handed six assists. Meanwhile, both Kamilla Cardoso and Isabelle Harrison scored 12 points. However, the Sky only shot 35.9% from the field, going a staggering 0-14 from three-point range. They also made only 12 of 21 free throws. Likewise, besides her monster double-doubles, Angel Reese is only shooting 39.3% from the floor and a measly 20% from three.
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