After Sky lost a physical battle against Caitlin Clarke’s Fever on Sunday, Angel Reese said she was fed up with the umpires.
Reese, who was called for a flagrant foul on Clark late in the third quarter, said the officiating “had a huge impact on the game” and suggested the officials were biased in Chicago’s 91-83 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I thought we played really hard inside. We came out really strong a few times and we just didn’t get a lot of calls.” Reese said in the post-match press conference.“And then I went back and watched the film and there were a lot of things that weren’t called. I think some people got special whistles.”
Reese was called for five fouls, mostly in the paint, but was whistled for a Flagrant 1 after his forearm struck Fever guard Clark in the head as the guard was driving toward the basket.
“That was a basketball play,” Reese said when asked about the flagrant foul on Clark. “You can’t control the officiating. The officiating obviously dictated a lot of the game tonight… I always go for the ball, but I’m going to play that video 20 times before Monday.”
Clark characterized Reese’s foul as a competitive play and said the physical play was good for the game.
Their rivalry dates back to their college days, when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA championship game.
Rees famously waved his hand in front of Clark’s face during the title fight, making a “you can’t see me” gesture to his rival, and has played the villain ever since.
Iowa ended LSU’s season with a 94-87 loss in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA tournament in April.
Reese also explained how proud she was of fellow rookie big man Camila Cardozo, who recorded a double-double in Sunday’s loss, Chicago’s fourth straight loss.
“No matter what the officiating is, you guys can’t stop this. We’ve been here a while, so no matter what you guys do, we’re not going to be stopped,” Reese said. “Our goal is to win, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
Reese finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five assists on 4-of-13 shooting, tying the WNBA rookie record for her sixth consecutive double-double.
Sky coach Theresa Weatherspoon defended Rees and Cardozo, who also had five fouls.
“They play really hard out there and sometimes the whistles don’t blow well,” Weatherspoon said. “They play hard and the biggest thing is playing hard. They know how important it is to establish their identity. I thought they gave it their all tonight. They’re very physical out there. It would have been nice to get some calls here and there.”
Reese was ejected from a game against the Liberty earlier this month after receiving two technical fouls, one of which was later overturned.
The Sky will look to bounce back on Thursday when they take on the Wings in Chicago.
