The Chicago Sky defeated the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night in the inaugural WNBA encounter between Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, both first-round picks.
When Reese and Brink arrived to the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, their striking attire caught people’s attention.
However, neither player had much of an impact on Thursday’s game, which saw the Sky win 83-73 to improve to 3-3 on the season and earn their first home victory of the year.
Despite playing a just 23 minutes, Brink, the second overall pick, managed to rack up seven points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Reese, who the Sky selected with the seventh choice, also sat for extended stretches of time, scoring six points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out three assists in only twenty-five minutes.
While Elizabeth Williams led Chicago with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, Marina Mabrey scored 20 points and tied a career high with six 3-pointers, causing more damage elsewhere.
With 6:59 left in the third quarter, Mabrey gave Chicago a 21-point lead. Los Angeles fought back, closing with a 20-8 run to close the fourth quarter with a 67-58 lead.
In the third quarter, the Sky gave up 27 points, turned the ball over six times, and committed ten fouls.
With 2:16 remaining, Rickea Jackson’s three-point play pulled Los Angeles within 78-69, but rookie Reese scored in the lane on consecutive possessions to push Chicago’s advantage to 82-69.
Eighteen turnovers slowed Los Angeles down.
In addition to scoring 15 points, Dana Evans had four of the Sky’s 13 steals. For Chicago (3-3), Chennedy Carter scored 14 points. With 8:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, Reese committed her fifth foul. In her 25 minutes, she finished with six points and six rebounds.
For Los Angeles (2-5), Dearica Hamby finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Kia Nurse chipped in with 17 points. Jackson scored ten points in the end.
Chicago led 49–31 at the half after Evans scored 11 points and Carter added 10 more. In the first half, the Sky shot 51% from the field and had a 20-point lead.
