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via Getty

via Getty

The New York Liberty avenged their home defeat against Chicago. In an enticing WNBA Commissioner’s Cup encounter, last year’s runners-up handed the hosts an 88-75 defeat. However, to add further salt to Chicago’s wounds the fixture included an unpleasant development as their most talked about rookie Angel Reese had to face ejection in the closing moments of the game.

The series of events transpired after Sabrina Ionescu missed a 27-foot three-point jumper in the final quarter. With just 2:31 left in the game, the 6 ft 3 in forward received one personal and two technical fouls. The personal foul happened to be her 5th one for the night when she trying to score a defensive rebound and get hold of a loose ball against Liberty’s No.35 Jonquel Jones.

According to some sources, the first technical that followed was due to her “disrespectfully addressing” the official Charles Watson. The decision compelled another on-court antic by the 22-year-old. To show her disagreement regarding the call, Reese waved off at Watson and said a couple of things that he didn’t appreciate. Apparently, that resulted in the second technical for the night and eventually her ejection. After this, the 8,277 in attendance at the Wintrust Arena saw a frustrated Reese storming into the Sky locker room.

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The drama has left all her fans, teammates as well as her coach looking for answers.

What are the initial Chicago Sky reactions to the Angel Reese episode?

A disappointed-looking lot of Marina Mabrey, Chennedy Carter and head coach Teresa Weatherspoon addressed the media’s questions in the post-game press conference. Reflecting on the double tech, Mabrey went first and said, “She got ejected. She said something to the ref and so whatever he felt like was the correct call is what he made. It’s about composure for us in our young years at the WNBA. You get to know the refs, how they respond to things.” 

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Moments later, Weatherspoon was also asked about her views in this regard. To which she responded, “I tried to get an explanation. I don’t know to this moment what has happened.” 

Meanwhile, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has extended his support to Angel Reese after the incident. In a post on X, he wrote, “Ref that threw out @Reese10Angel is weak btw… You know who you are (Keep ya money Angel I got you).” 

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Another controversial night for the Chicago Sky. But coach Weatherspoon is focused on moving forward and getting the work done. “continue to make things happen,” she iterates. Reese finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and an assist.