Since staking her claim to help grow the WNBA alongside Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese has elevated her game to new heights for the Chicago Sky. The WNBA rookie made league history with ten consecutive double-doubles, a single-season record.
Reese etched her name into WNBA history, surpassing Candace Parker's previous record of nine set in 2015. Reese clinched the achievement in her rookie season by scoring exactly ten points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a hard-fought 70-62 loss to the Minnesota Lynx .
The Sky forward faced a tough shooting night, going 4-for-16 from the field and sitting at nine points until the final thirty seconds of the game, leaving fans on edge about the continuation of her double-double streak. The tension peaked after Lindsay Allen's missed desperation step-back 3-pointer with Chicago trailing by nine points.
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Reese secured the offensive rebound and drew a loose ball foul on Napheesa Collier . She then missed the first free throw attempt, causing a collective gasp at Wintrust Arena. With the cameras panning to her mother in the crowd, Reese calmly sank the second shot with 23 seconds left, preserving her streak despite the Sky's 70-62 defeat.
But before etching her name into the WNBA history books, Reese made an effort to clarify to media that several incoming players contributed significantly to the league's growth, challenging the prevailing narrative that the surge in WNBA popularity was solely due to fans from Clark's college career at Iowa continuing to follow her professionally.
"The reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of one person. It's because of me, too. I want y'all to realize that," she said. "People are talking about women's basketball that you never would think would talk about women's basketball, just because of one single game," explained Reese of the 2023 National championship game. "Just looking at that, I'll take the bad guy role."
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Just hours after Reese's historic achievement, Clark delivered a near-triple-double performance despite a tough shooting night. The No. 1 overall pick managed only four field goals and shot 2-for-10 from beyond the arc. But her focus at the free-throw line, sinking 5 of 6 attempts, powered her to 15 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds, helping to lead the Indiana Fever to an 88-82 victory over the Phoenix Mercury .
All eyes were on the game following Diana Taurasi's comments suggesting Clark might struggle with the transition to the professional level, stating there are "levels" between college and the pros. Despite Taurasi's remarks, the trio of herself, Brittney Griner, and Natasha Cloud couldn't slow down the Fever's offense, spearheaded by Aliyah Boston's team-high 17 points, Kelsey Mitchell's 16 points, and Clark's well-rounded contributions.
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