Reese and Cardoso both stuffed the stat sheet in defeating Indiana Fever
By Isabel Gonzalez 7 hrs ago•2 min read
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Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso both made major contributions in helping the Chicago Sky get their first win over the Indiana Fever Sunday afternoon, and in the process they became the WNBA’s first set of rookie teammates to register 15+ points and 10+ rebounds in the same game since 1998.
“I didn’t want this one to slip out of our hands,” Reese said of the Sky’s 88-87 win that required Chicago to battle back from 15 points down in the second half. “I think we work so hard … I think just being able to have teammates that believe in you, believe in each other, have each other’s backs. I know my teammates got my back and I got their back and that’s what’s important. That’s what helped us pull it off today.”
The Fever were up by as many as 15 points, but Reese led the comeback while registering her eighth consecutive double-double with 25 points and 16 rebounds. She is just one more double-double away from tying Candace Parker’s single-season record streak from 2015.
HOW DID ANGEL REESE GET THIS OFF!? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2K1laTCJ7N
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2024
Reese also became the first WNBA rookie to put up 25+ points and 15+ rebounds since Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson in 2018. “I love A’ja. She was mentoring me when I was at Maryland,” Reese said. “She has been somebody that I try to model my game after. On and off the court, I love who she is, so just being able to be named with her is amazing.”
Cardoso’s 16 points were a career-high, and the 26 combined rebounds between her and Reese were more than the 25 boards registered by the entire Fever roster.
“I think that is something we focus on,” Cardoso said after the game. “You know, Angel she has been obviously really good since college. Her game is translating really well and I’m picking up on that, too. I want to be a rebounder, I want to be able to make layups so that’s something we focus on as a post player and forward.”
Rookie to rookie!VOTE: https://t.co/0NGrYJune5#skytown pic.twitter.com/Z6VlPbS9sM
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) June 23, 2024
Reese and Cardoso have been two of the top rookies to come out of this year’s WNBA draft class. The Sky currently hold a 6-9 record, but they are showing improvement as the season progresses.
“I’m so excited. I think our future is bright,” Cardoso said. “I’m just so proud of [Reese] and everything she is doing out there.”
Chennedy Carter was also a top contributor for the Sky on Sunday as she put up 23 points going 8 for 12 from the field. Meanwhile, the Fever’s efforts were lead by Kelsey Mitchell’s 24 points. Indiana rookie Caitlin Clark also shined as got her own double-double with 17 points and a franchise-high 13 assists.
The Sky and Fever (7-11) have met three times this season, and all their meetings have been competitive. The Fever leads the series 2-1, but the Sky will get a chance to even things out when they meet again on Aug. 30.
