Reese left fans sleepless in Seattle. Chicago Sky rookie forward Angel Reese corralled her 13th consecutive double-double during a contest against the Seattle Storm on Sunday. With that accomplishment, she eclipsed WNBA-great and future first ballot Hall of Famer Candace Parker’s all-time record for the most consecutive double-doubles over multiple seasons.
“It’s a joy to watch,” teammate Marina Mabrey said of Reese. “She’s so consistent. She comes in every day and battles and fights and she’s super physical for a rookie, which is really hard to do. That’s usually one of the biggest transitions and she kind of just jumped in there and did all the dirty work, and now it’s all paying off for her. And this is just the beginning, so I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Embed from Getty ImagesReese was an absolute monster, nearly collecting a double-double in the first 20 minutes of action of the Sky’s 13-point loss, 84-71, to the Storm. However, it was not until she converted a layup midway through the third quarter that the rookie made history. She finished with 17 points, 14 boards and four steals.
“I’m just trying to be consistent for my teammates, doing whatever I can to help my team,” Reese said after the game. “I think I didn’t do enough tonight but just being able to be there for my teammates and knowing that I have a job to do no matter if I’m a rookie or a vet.”
Chicago had the lead for the lion’s share of the first half after racing out to a nine-point advantage, 12-3 in the opening quarter. The Sky were able to stifle the Storm, holding them to three points on the offensive end until Nneka Ogwumike knocked down a three-pointer with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter.
Seattle kept fighting, scratching and clawing their way back into the game and trailed by eight, 39-31, at the break. With Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd leading the charge, the Storm came out of the locker room ready to handle their business. They went on a 16-2 surge to rally and take a five-point lead in the third quarter.
The Sky threw everything at them but the kitchen sink defensively, but could not contain the Storm’s deadly shooting, trailing by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter before orchestrating a 14-3 run to make it a one possession game with just under three minutes left.
The Storm did not waste any time with their response, utilizing a 12-0 run to close out the victory at Climate Pledge Arena. Ogwumike finished the game leading all scorers with 24 points and accumulating 13 rebounds, while Loyd added 20 points.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Reese out of LSU, made history just a week ago, after recording her 10th straight double-double in the team’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx to pass Parker, who had nine straight at the end of the 2009 season for the most in a single season as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks.
The two-time MVP and gold medal winner Parker extended her streak to 12 total at the beginning of the 2010 season before Reese matched it on Friday night and then broke the record Sunday.
Reese came into Sunday night’s battle averaging 13.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game so far in her rookie campaign. She currently leads the league in rebounds.
“She’s the G.O.A.T,” Reese said of Parker. “I’ve always respected CP3, and I try even to take some things from her game and try to add them to mine. And just being able to be named with an amazing player like that is always going to be special to me.”
The No. 7 pick in the WNBA Draft is considered a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, alongside her collegiate foe the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.
Clark on Saturday made some history in her own right, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple double. The feat occurred against the daunting New York Liberty.
With Sunday’s loss, the Sky fall to eighth in the standings but remain in the playoff picture.
