Angel Reese was pleased to continue her streak of double-doubles, but she wished it had led to a victory. The rookie for the Chicago Sky set a new WNBA record with her 15th consecutive double-double in a 91-76 loss to the New York Liberty on Thursday night.
“The basketball gods keep blessing me. I don’t even know how I did that,” Reese said after scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. “I didn’t have a great night tonight obviously.”
This was the second time in two days that she had to come through in the final moments to extend her streak. The previous day, she secured it by sinking two free throws in the closing seconds of a home game win.
“I just try to go out there and contribute in any way I can to help the team win,” Reese explained.
She faced challenges against New York’s tall frontcourt on Thursday, only scoring four points and collecting three rebounds in the first half.
Reese reached her 10th point with less than 4 minutes remaining and then gathered three more rebounds in the next 2 minutes to achieve the milestone.
The sellout crowd erupted in cheers when she grabbed her 10th rebound with 2:12 left in the game, showing their appreciation with a loud ovation during pregame introductions.
“She plays hard, she’s not chasing records, she wants wins,” commented Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
“She puts in the effort, and every time you check the stats, there she is with another double-double. I’m sure she values the win more than the record,” Weatherspoon added.
Reese, selected as the seventh pick in the draft, surpassed Candace Parker’s previous record of 12 consecutive double-doubles just last Sunday.
“I still have a lot to accomplish, but it’s really special for me to be mentioned alongside some of the greats,” Reese reflected.
