After Shaky Start to WNBA Life, Angel Reese’s Gritty Effort Gets Applauded by Coach Teresa Weatherspoon

The Chicago Sky settled their scores with the Dallas Wings. After losing the regular season opener, the 2021 WNBA champions, redeemed themselves at the College Park Center by securing an 83-74 victory. Moreover, from a personal standpoint, the game proved to be a productive outing of the 7th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA drafts, Angel Reese. The three-time All-American forward had a huge say in a commanding second-half comeback by the visitors. Following this, head coach Teresa Weatherspoon heaped praise on the ferocious No.5 after the game.

The win was quickly followed by Weatherspoon expressing her assessment of the contest. One of them was regarding how Angel Reese was able to overcome the adversity of the first half, when the Dallas led 30-42, and strongly finish the second half in triumph. To this Weatherspoon said, “It’s the feel. Once you get a feel for what’s happening and where your fit is.”

The 58-year-old then went on to commend Reese for all the grinding she’s putting for the franchise. Weatherspoon further added, “She’s gonna work hard all day long. Every practice, every game, she’s gonna give everything she has. She’s just trying to find her fit, and when she finds it, she releases it.”

As it turns out, the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player made a hefty contribution to Chicago’s first win of the season.

Angel Reese raises the temperatures at Dallas

The 23-year-old was seen struggling in the first half. However, she turned things around very quickly for herself and the team. Her three-point play gave the Sky the lead at 67-65 with 6:29 remaining till the final buzzer. In addition to this, Reese was also instrumental in keeping the Sky ahead after that. She closed in the 14-0 run and gave Chicago a 7-point lead when the clock showed  4 1/2 minutes and helped Chicago finish the penultimate quarter securing 25 points. Consequently, the rookie was able to register 11 points and 9 rebounds next to her name. On top of that, she was plus-17 and went 3-of-9 on field goals along with converting 5 out of 7 attempts from the free-throw line.

An inspirational performance from the Chi-town Barbie. With an all-round show, she is slowly but gradually settling into the Chicago colors. Reese had previously put out a similar statline with 12 points and 8 rebounds against the Wings while keeping her free throw percent at 25.0 which after her 2nd game reads 71.4%.

As the trajectory continues to the build, the WNBA runners-up, the New York Liberty poses the next challenge for Angel Reese and Co. It will be interesting to see what she has to offer against these formidable opponents.