Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky faced off against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, July 8, at the CareFirst Arena in Washington. The Sky looked to avenge their close 80-75 loss against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx last Sunday.
Reese played 10 minutes in the first quarter and already grabbed six rebounds on top of two points. However, the Mystics leaned on their bench players to take a 24-19 lead at the end of the opening quarter to open the game with momentum.
The early heat of the game got to Reese in the first period as she was called for a technical foul after taunting Shakira Austin following a defensive stop at the 1:29 mark of the quarter.
The Mystics ballooned their lead to 10, 32-22, early in the second quarter. The Sky cut it down to within one possession as Chicago doubled down on their defense to keep within striking distance, and they are at halftime, 40-35.
Reese entered halftime with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, leading Chicago in their bid to come back against the Mystics.
The Sky went on an 11-0 run late in the third quarter to turn a once 52-41 deficit to a 52-all deadlock. Reese and Austin again went at it in the period, exchanging baskets in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Mystics got the upper hand with a 56-54 lead heading to the final period.
Down 74-72, Mystics rookie Sonia Citron hit a big three to take the lead, 75-74, with 1:36 remaining in the game, before Brittney Sykes extended the lead with a jumper, 77-74. Sky’s Rachel Banham then tied the game at 77-all with a triple with 46 seconds left.
Austin then scored the go-ahead bucket to put Mystics on top, 79-77, only for it to be knotted again through Reese’s two free throws. However, Austin ultimately sealed the win with two charities to end the game, 81-79.
Reese finished the game with her sixth straight double-double performance with 22 points and 15 rebounds, albeit resulting in another loss, which put them at 5:13.
Angel Reese set to be an All-Star once more despite a rough start in sophomore season
Angel Reese had a rough start in her second year in the league, struggling to score on her first eight games, resulting in ugly shooting splits, including a 0-of-9 performance against the defending champions, New York Liberty.
But Reese has since recovered from an early slump and made her way back to the All-Star game, becoming a two-time All-Star.
She credited her teammates for hitting another milestone in her career.
"Individual awards are team awards! Wouldn’t be able to do this without them! 🙏🏽🥺," Reese wrote on X.
However, Reese may need more heavy lifting for the rest of the season as the Sky look to punch a playoff ticket.