Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark had the third chapter of their rivalry over the weekend. The Chicago Sky hosted the Indiana Fever in another highly anticipated matchup between the two young stars.
The first two matchups this season were won by Caitlin Clark and the Fever. But, hard fouls committed by Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese against Clark dominated headlines from the first two contests.
This time, there were no flagrant fouls to discuss. Instead, the headline was how impressive of a comeback the Sky were able to put together. Trailing by as many as 15 points in the game, Angel Reese had one of her best performances as a pro to avoid losing three in a row to her rival.
The LSU star poured in a career-high 25 points to go along with 16 rebounds to lead the Sky to an 88-87 victory. It was the eighth straight game that Angel Reese has recorded a double-double, adding to her rookie record and moving one step closer to the WNBA’s all-time record of 11.
“This is what I do: I come out and perform,” Reese said after the game. “I do what it takes to win every single day.”
It was a length 31-15 run by the Sky over the Fever to close out the game and earn the one-point win. Angel Reese scored 15 points on her own during that stretch, matching the Fever’s total of five baskets as well.
Her performance even drew some praise from Caitlin Clark, as the Fever had no answers for Reese down the stretch of the game. She was a one-woman wrecking crew running the court and finishing in the paint.
“She ran really well in transition,” Clark said of Reese. “She got a couple and-1s in transition, obviously, she played a really great game. I think they definitely knew to be physical with us. I think they probably watched [our last game] and saw that we fouled them nonstop … 35 [free throws] … a team like this you are not going to get away with that.”
Despite the loss, Sunday’s matchup is a memorable one for Caitlin Clark as well. She tied the WNBA record for assists with 13, which is also a Fever record. While she got her teammates involved, she went scoreless over the last 7:12, which helped the Sky get back into the game.
“I’m sure there was an opportunity or two for me to probably attempt another shot there at the end, but I trust my teammates,” Clark said. “Obviously, 13 assists, that means my teammates scored off of 13 of my passes. It’s a really great number, so I’m going to give them the ball every time and give them an opportunity to score.”
This is a budding rivalry that the WNBA is benefitting greatly from. Every time Angel Reese and the Sky take on Caitlin Clark and Fever, ratings and viewership are through the roof. Alas, they won’t meet again until August 30th in Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
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