WNBA: Angel Reese outshines A’ja Wilson with double-double as Chicago Sky claim win over Las Vegas Aces

Angel Reese took the headlines once again with another double-double as the Chicago Sky claimed an impressive win over reigning WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces. Chennedy Carter scored a game-high 34 points and outshone A’ja Wilson, who recorded 28 points on the night. Elsewhere, the New York Liberty enjoyed a victory over the Connecticut Sun.

Angel Reese resumed her routine of double-doubles in the Chicago Sky’s 93-85 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night.  Reese managed the feat for the 16th time in her last 17 games, after seeing her WNBA record of 15 consecutive double-double matches coming to an end in a 81-67 defeat to the New York Liberty.  She finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in a match which saw Chennedy Carter top score with 34 points.  A’ja Wilson top scored for the Aces with 28 points and 14 rebounds, to continue a stellar run of form in recent weeks.

This was Wilson’s sixth consecutive game in which she had scored at least 20 points and moved up to third in franchise history for career steals after getting three on the night.  Tiffany Wilson also made a telling contribution for the Nevada outfit with 19 points from the bench, while Jackie Young added 17.

Game Recap: Chennedy Carter leads the @chicagosky to a BIG TIME road win against the Aces with her 34-point performance ⚡️

FINAL SCORE: 93-85#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/NiBbodp21A

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 17, 2024

However, it was not enough to prevent the Nevada outfit from succumbing to their eighth defeat of the season.
There was more bad news for Las Vegas when rookie Kate Martin slipped on court towards the end of the first quarter, after what was described as a lower right leg injury by Aces coach Becky Hammon.

She was helped to the locker room and subsequently made her way back to the bench, but did not feature again.
Reflecting on the defeat, Wilson said in quotes published by ABC News: “I think we kind of needed this to kind of wake us up a little bit. To tell us we have a lot more work we to do, because sometimes, when you’re winning games and streaking out a little bit, things get lost in the sauce,”

“And so when you have games like this, where you kind of get senioritis, it’s kind of helpful to get punched in the mouth, like today.”

Setting the standard 📈👌 pic.twitter.com/iNgPdkMNGZ

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 17, 2024

Elsewhere, Sabrina Ionescu starred in an 82-74 win for the New York Liberty over the Connecticut Sun.
The win was all the more impressive due to the absences of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Breanna Stewart.  Guard Laney-Hamilton is set to be out of action for between four and six weeks after undergoing surgery on her right knee, while Stewart missed her second consecutive match with a hamstring problem.

Ionescu scored 30 points on the night, coming to the fore in the fourth quarter by hitting a 3-pointer to take the match in their favour.  That shot kickstarted a 10-3 run which moved Liberty into a 73-66 lead, and Ionescu revealed the details of her rallying cry to ultimately to turn the match in New York’s favour.

“Ten more minutes, we have to buckle down and play harder,” Ionescu said of the conversation in quotes published by wnba.com.

“Play our best basketball for 10 more minutes and lock in. [Kennedy Burke] got huge steals for us.”

Meanwhile, it was a frustrating night for the Sun, despite the contributions of Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas.  Jones scored 17 points and Thomas added 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but could only manage to get within four points of New York on the night.  This was Connecticut’s sixth defeat of the season, but still remain second in the Eastern Conference and the overall standings.