Angel Reese stats tonight (May 25): After promising start, Sky rookie falters to finish strong in loss vs Sun

Going into the Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun game on Saturday at the Wintrust Arena, everyone had great expectations from Sky's rookie Angel Reese, especially after she helped her team to an impressive win against the New York Liberty.

However, after starting strong in the first half of the game, Reese faltered in the second. The same can be said about the whole Sky squad, which failed to subdue the Sun in the latter half as they lost the game with a final score of 86-82.

Angel Reese scored 13 points, collected five rebounds and dished out two assists to complete her performance on Saturday night. She scored 4 of 9 field goals with a 44.4% field goal percentage. From downtown, Reese only took a single attempt and did not make it. She was 0-1 beyond the arc.

Defensively, Reese collected three offensive rebounds and two defensive rebounds, amounting to five rebounds for the Sky rookie. She made one successful steal and had two turnovers with no blocks made for the night. It was an underwhelming performance from Chi Barbie, considering that she is averaging 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this season.

Angel Reese has not been an offensive powerhouse this season, but she has excelled in defense. Even in the match against the New York Liberty, the former LSU star collected nine rebounds, which were crucial to her team's victory. However, she struggled to play her usual defense against the Sun.

Angel Reese shares her thoughts on Alyssa Thomas' foul

In the third quarter of the game, Suns star Alyssa Thomas committed a hard foul on Angel Reese. Thomas received a flagrant foul and was ejected from the game as a penalty for her actions. Reese attended a post-game conference, where she was asked about her thoughts on the foul and whether the other players were being hard on her because she is a rookie.

Chi Barbie had a ready response to the question:

"It's not just cause I am a rookie. I am a player, I am a basketball player. They dont give a damn If I am a rookie."

Reese displayed a great self-realization of being a professional player in a physical sport where fouls are bound to happen. Furthermore, she urged other players in the league not to treat her differently or softly just because she is a rookie.

Reese thanked Alyssa Thomas for the foul, stating that the Sun's star sent her a message and in response to that she kept pushing till the very end. Reese also clarified that there are "no hard feelings" between her and Thomas because of the foul.