Angel Reese vs. A'ja Wilson Duel Draws Rave Reviews from WNBA Fans as Sky Beat Aces
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVJuly 17, 2024
Angel Reese has earned plenty of hype during her rookie season. She saw firsthand the impact a two-time champion and two-time MVP can have on the court Tuesday, however.
A'ja Wilson was brilliant in the Las Vegas Aces' 93-85 loss against the Chicago Sky, finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals. The Aces need every one of those stats to stay in the game, as they trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before clawing back.
The Sky managed to hold them off, however, in large part due to the efforts of Chennedy Carter, who led all scorers with 34 points. Reese tallied yet another double-double, meanwhile, chipping in with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. She was also a game-high plus-26 on the night.
Reese and the Sky won the war, though it was hard to ignore that Wilson—arguably the best player in the WNBA, period—won the individual battle against the promising young rookie:
Coach Billy @billinho8If I'm Angel Reese, I'd spend some times working with A'ja Wilson in the offseason. <a href="https://twitter.com/_ajawilson22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_ajawilson22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Reese10Angel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Reese10Angel</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsLVA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsLVA</a>
But fans made sure Reese was feeling the love on social media as well:
Fayzey @illfayzeSay what you want about Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese, but you can ABSOLUTELY trust them to be relentless and locked in during clutch time.<br><br>They both have a focus and hunger you can't teach. Don't even need to see the doctor's note to know the diagnosis: <a href="https://t.co/l6XYzNSR2Q">pic.twitter.com/l6XYzNSR2Q</a>
The win moved the Sky to 10-14 on the season, while the two-time defending champions are now 16-8. To say this was a surprising upset, given those records and Las Vegas' recent championship pedigree, would be an understatement.
The Sky have serious potential, given the young core of Carter, Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The latter two combined for 18 boards on the night, helping Chicago control the glass (35-26 rebounding advantage) and limit Vegas' second-chance opportunities.
When the dust settles on the 2024 WNBA season, the Aces will probably be a bigger part of the postseason story than the Sky, who are fighting just to position themselves for a playoff berth. But Chicago is coming, led to the efforts of its young core.