Angel Reese sets WNBA rookie record as Sky Beat Wings

Angel Reese recorded her seventh consecutive double-double and set a WNBA rookie record Thursday as the Chicago Sky edged past the Dallas Wings 83-72.

Reese finished with a season-high 16 points and 18 rebounds for the Sky, who snapped a four-game losing streak. The former LSU star passed Tina Charles and Cindy Brown for the most consecutive games with a double-double by a WNBA rookie.

“It’s super exciting for myself,” Reese told ESPN during her postgame interview. “I’m trying to give myself some grace and tell myself I’m doing a good job, but I still have a lot of growing to do and I’m just excited to play in this league.”

The overall WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles is 12, set during the 2009-2010 seasons by former Sparks star Candace Parker, who also played two seasons for the Sky at the end of her storied career.

When asked about potentially becoming Sky’s next big interior player, Reese nodded to another former Chicago star: Sylvia Fowles, who mentored Reese at LSU.

“I love Sylvia, she was a great person to me and a great mentor to me when I was at LSU,” Reese said. “Having that relationship with her at LSU, I know she will be super proud of me.”

The 6-foot-4 Reese is now averaging 10.8 rebounds through 14 games this season and is the second-best rebounder in the league behind only two-time MVP A’ja Wilson.

“I mean, obviously I just want to do what it takes to win, and rebounding is what I do to win,” Reese said.

Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey each scored 19 points to lead the Sky, who improved to 5-9.

Chicago closed the first half on a 16-4 run to build a 42-25 lead. Carter made all seven of her shots in the first half and finished with 15 points as the Wings were just 10 of 36 from the field (28%), including 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

Reese’s steal and fast-break layup extended Chicago’s lead to 55-35 in the third quarter. The Wings didn’t reach the 40-point mark until there were 9:38 left in the fourth.

Dallas came back in the fourth quarter, when Arike Ogunbowale made a 3-pointer on three consecutive possessions to pull within 69-59. Jacy Sheldon, in her first start of the season, added a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 79-70 with 44.1 seconds left, but Chicago made four consecutive free throws to seal the victory.

Rookie Kamilla Cardoso, who had her first career double-double, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds for Chicago.

Ogunbowale scored 17 of her 31 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas (3-11). Natasha Howard, playing for the first time since the May 15 season opener because of a broken foot, added 13 points. The Wings were without Maddy Siegrist (broken finger) and Kalani Brown (illness).

Dallas was scoreless in the first four minutes of the game, missing five straight shots. The Wings shot just 24% in the first quarter, with Ogunbowale attempting eight of their 21 shots.

This report used information from The Associated Press.