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Angel Reese shows promising second half for Chicago Sky in WNBA debut

After slow start, Reese tallied 11 points and seven boards after halftime in loss to Wings

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Despite the Chicago Sky’s 87-79 loss to the Dallas Wings Wednesday night, former LSU star Angel Reese had a promising second half during her WNBA debut before a sold-out College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Reese was LSU’s leading scorer and rebounder for the past two seasons, and on Wednesday she showed glimpses of how her skills could translate to the pro level. The 6-foot-3 forward finished her first official WNBA game with 12 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. She also committed two turnovers, and had five personal fouls.

“It’s like for everybody, it’s a learning process,” said Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after the game. “It’s just learning. Learning and growing. Knowing what they can do and what they can’t do. This what it is, this is a learning process. Our girls went out and competed tonight. They competed, we just came up a little bit short because of the things that we are learning down the stretch. You learn how to win, that’s where we are. We are learning how to win.”

Reese’s final stats were not bad, but she did have a slow start in the contest. She only had one point, one rebound and one assist in her first 13 minutes of action. Her shooting was shaky as she went 0 for 3 from the field and 1 for 6 from the line during the first half. However, she looked more composed after the break and got her first bucket early in the third quarter.

Reese was one of five double-digit scorers for the Sky. Marina Mabrey led Chicago with 19 points and nine rebounds.

The game was close for most of the night and even late in the fourth quarter it seemed as if Chicago was going to steal a road win, but Arike Ogunbowale reminded everyone of the impact veterans can have during tight contests.

Like Reese, the Wings’ starting guard was not too productive in the first half, but Ogunbowale shook off those struggles and went on a tear in the final frame, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. She finished the night with a game-high 25 points, seven assists and three steals.

These two teams will face each other once again in Dallas on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Reese’s home debut won’t occur until May 25, when the Sky faces the Connecticut Sun.