Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese brought a WNBA record 15-game double-double streak into Saturday’s game against the New York Liberty. Despite late efforts to feed Reese, the Liberty ended the streak by holding the rookie star to eight points in their 81-67 win.
With time ticking down in the fourth quarter, Reese seemed determined to keep her double-double streak alive — the LSU product called for the ball even with the game out of reach.
Though they had already sealed the win, the Liberty assigned four defenders to Reese whenever she got the ball to keep her from scoring the final points she needed to extend the streak
Unable to circumvent the swarming New York defense, Reese eventually passed the ball back to a teammate before walking toward the bench as time expired.
“[Winning] is what’s most important to me,” the 22-year-old told ESPN about the streak on Thursday. “I think I’ve done a great job, being able to be consistent and I’ve broken the record already.”
While several fans criticized Reese for “stat padding,” former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III said it’s common for professional athletes across sports to boost their numbers.
“Reese isn’t the first to stat pad at the end of games or chase records. We have seen it in the NBA and NFL,” he wrote on X. “Players care, fans care, coaches care and their teammates care about these milestones. It’s an impressive record regardless.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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