Angel Reese Struggles in Loss to New York Liberty

Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky faced off against the defending champions on Thursday night, but it wasn’t a great outing for the former LSU Lady Tiger. Reese managed to score only two points in a disappointing 99-74 defeat to the New York Liberty. What made it even tougher was a 19-second stretch where she grabbed five offensive rebounds, which seemed a little bittersweet considering the final score.

Now, to give some context, two of Reese’s shots were blocked during the game. She’s in her second year, and it’s been evident that her struggle with shooting close to the basket continues, despite occasionally showing flashes of potential.

In fact, Reese’s shooting from within 8 feet has been concerning; her current record stands at 4 for 19. Last season, she had a shooting percentage of 41.4% from that range. The only other player who came close to that, albeit with a better percentage, is Dihony Carrington from Connecticut, who shot 48.3%.

In this recent game, Reese finished with no made shots from eight attempts—scoring just two points and snagging 12 rebounds. Out of those rebounds, eight were offensive, and a considerable number came from her own missed shots.

As for the Sky, they’ve started the season 0-2, having lost both games. Their opener was against the Fever, where they fell short by 35 points, and in another matchup, they lost by 25. In those games, Reese contributed just 14 points total, showing some offensive inconsistency.