Angel Reese delivers a masterclass as the Sky outlast the Fever
CHICAGO - Chicago Sky got one on the Indiana Fever.
After the Sky finally snapped a four-game skid against the Wings last Thursday, they seemed poised to make it two in a row.
Enter: Angel Reese.
Tied at 84-84 with 1:07 left, the Sky forced a turnover and came out of a timeout with the ball. Reese dropped in a basket, and forced two defensive stops in the final minute to cap her masterclass of a game with an 88-87 Sky win over Indiana on Sunday.
Reese starred with a 25-point, 16-rebound game as she took control in the fourth quarter. It was a moment that made it clear the rookie was more than just the seventh overall pick.
This snapped the Fever's four-game winning streak and overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. Chicago was down by as many as 15.
The Sky have struggled with slow starts and cold shooting before. This time it felt like the Sky shook off those issues.
Through the first two quarters, the Sky kept with the Fever. It was a back-and-forth game, no team fully had the advantage until the Sky went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. That forced a Fever timeout.
Then, the Fever took control.
Sky went cold in the second half of the third, struggled with turnovers, took terrible fouls and didn't rotate well defensively. That led to a 24-7 run by the Fever where they led 71-57 late in the third.
The Sky took a late rally behind Angel Reese to cut the Fever lead to 72-64 entering the fourth. But, the damage was done. The Sky, yet again, were in the fourth quarter with a slimming margin of error after plenty of self-made errors.
One was a foul on a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer that put the exclamation point on the Fever's 24-7 run.
That can't diminish Reese and her run. She extended her WNBA record double-double streak to eight games.
Her connection with Kamilla Cardoso is continuing and growing, and had it not been for the five-minute stretch in the third quarter it might have led to a closer game. Cardoso had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The Sky had momentum throughout Wintrust after Lindsay Allen was fouled after a made layup with 5:27 left in the game, but that cut the Fever lead to 82-75. There continue to be too many moments where the Sky rally back into games, only to be too far out of reach.
That wasn't Sunday.
Aliyah Boston hit a 3-pointer to cut the Sky lead to one with 20 seconds left. If the Sky wanted it, they would need to work for it.
Chicago missed its free throws, but made one stop to win. Boston's jumper to win it hit the backboard and bounced down to Cardoso.
The final seconds included as much drama as possible, as the Fever had one chance with .2 seconds left after the referees ruled Indiana called a timeout after corralling a rebound off a missed free throw.
The Sky were a team that consistently ran out of time in their comeback attempts during their four-game losing skid. Now, they were on the other end of that game.
Sky rookie Angel Reese remains grounded after earning 7th most All-Star votes: 'I'm gonna have to earn it'
Reese, who earned 118,949 votes, has not taken the votes for granted. It was something that kept her grounded, as she knows an All-Star spot won't be gifted to her.