Angel Reese’s historic night wasn’t enough to propel the Chicago Sky to a win over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, narrowly falling by the final score of 83-79.
Reese recorded a double-double by finishing with 15 points and a season-high 20 rebounds, shooting 5-of-11 from the field. She moved into No. 5 on Chicago’s all-time rebounding leaderboard.
The performance marked Reese’s fourth career 20-rebound game, passing Hall of Fame center Lisa Leslie for No. 4 on the all-time list.
Reese also dished out four assists and recorded two blocks against the Mercury on Thursday.
Chicago couldn’t build upon a strong start against Phoenix and faced a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, but fought back to tie the game 71-71 with just over three minutes left in regulation.
The Mercury eventually pulled ahead by two before a potential game-tying layup from Reese was blocked by Natasha Mack with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
A spin and finish off the glass from Phoenix star Alyssa Thomas on the ensuing possession put the Sky in a four-point deficit that they ultimately couldn’t overcome.
Kamilla Cardoso scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds of her own for the Sky, while Kia Nurse ended the contest with a team-high 17 points off the bench.
Chicago shot 50 percent from three-point territory, but ball security issues prevented its offense from truly breaking out. The Sky committed 21 turnovers compared to 19 assists.
Meanwhile, Kahleah Cooper was almost unstoppable for Phoenix. She finished with 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting, which included four triples. Thomas also chipped in with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Despite the comeback attempt, the Sky have now lost 16 of their past 18 games.
