5 Things We Learnt From Angel Reese’s Sky vs Sabrina Ionescu’s Liberty

The Chicago Sky may be a young team, but they are a fearless one. Something they have proven tonight as they took down the 2023 finalists, New York Liberty. A thrilling exhibition by the 2021 WNBA champions handed last year’s runners-up their first defeat in their own backyard. Teresa Weatherspoon’s former team Sabrina Ionescu-led Liberty went down as Sky won 90-81 in front of a sold-out Barclay’s Center.

Owing to the success of their rookie Angel Reese and also Marina Mabrey, this result made the homecoming of their head coach Teresa Weatherspoon a night to remember. They not only bolstered the frontcourt but were also very effective on the backcourt.

But there were quite a few things that we can notice when the Sky is on the floor.

1. They are relentless and they do not leave any opportunity to rebound shots, whether offensive or defensive. Tonight, Chicago grabbed 38 rebounds which were three more than what the home team grabbed.
2. In addition to this, they outscored the Liberty on almost all fronts. This was evident by the switch of leads four times with Chicago sailing in front for a longer time. Further, in the final quarter, the Sky had their highest lead of 14 points of the night with just 2:18 left on the clock. While Liberty’s highest advantage was only 3 points.
3. The shooting numbers show that they had the upper hand by 3.2% in field goals. Seemingly, Chicago was 35 of 75 while the home team shot 30 of 69.
4. The same is the case from beyond the arc. Despite New York having heavyweight shooters like Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, Chicago’s accuracy was .4% better.
5. In terms of turnovers as well, the Sky had a total of 9 whereas the hosts registered 14.

The Sky’s official Instagram page posted a video of Angel Reese, in a play. They captioned it, “Angel Reese applying defensive pressure on the reigning MVP. ” Such steals, despite not ending in a bucket, create pressure on the opposing team, breaking their confidence.

Angel Reese, with just 3:37 left for the first break and the home team trailing by 2 points, executed a steal against 2× WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, who was looking to even the score. Helping the team with the momentum, yet again, it was an impactful outing for ESPN’s Rookie of the Week Angel Reese. As it turns out, she complimented the team’s top performer Marina Mabrey in the best way possible.

Angel Reese and Marina Mabrey join forces to create chaos

Marina Mabrey grabbed a game-high 21 points along with 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the Sky. Angel Reese too had quite an applauding performance as she went against the veterans and did not seem to fear them. The three-time All-American forward swept 13 points and 9 rebounds. While Mabrey’s contributions were more significant in field goals as she was 8 of 13, Reese capitalized more from the free throw line by converting 7 out of her 9 attempts.

A superb offensive as well as a defensive display by the 2021 champions. “Chicago — quite scary — I said that’s a tough matchup for us because they’re very aggressive in what they do,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello remarked post-game.

The win places them third in the Eastern Conference Standings for now. With one of the best defensive teams Connecticut knocking on their doors next, it will be interesting to see what they’ll have to offer.