Angel Reese set the tone with an impressive performance Sunday night as the Chicago Sky picked up their first win of the season over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, 88-87.

Fifteen games into her WNBA career, the LSU product put up a career high of 25 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Sky to an 88-87 victory in front of a big crowd Wintrust Arena in Chicago. She extended her WNBA rookie record to eight consecutive double-doubles.

“I’m a dog,” Reese said to media after the game. “You can’t teach that.”

The Fever-Sky rivalry has provided some drama through three games this season, and Sunday’s contest had a good back-and-forth between Reese and NaLyssa Smith, a 6-foot-4 post player for Indiana.

At one point late in the game, Smith made a basket over Reese and then bent over to hold her hand just above the floor, teasing the 6-foot-3 Reese with the suggestion that’s she’s too small.

Fever Sky Basketball
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) is interviewed by Holly Rowe after the Sky defeated the Indiana Fever, 88-87, in a WNBA basketball game, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Chicago. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Eileen T. Meslar

Reese responded by dashing past Smith for a layup and a foul on the other end.

After the game, Reese was asked what she thought of Smith’s taunting.

“I didn’t even see it,” Reese said. “My teammates had to tell me about that. I didn’t even know she did that. That’s crazy. But me and NaLyssa have been competing against each other since I was at Maryland and she was at Baylor. It’s nothing, no hard feelings, me and NaLyssa are just two great competitors.”

After the game, Reese embraced hoops legend Sheryl Swoopes.

“Being able to have that person in my corner is something I’ve always needed,” Reese said. “She understands me. She knows what I’ve been through, what I’m going through.”

As for the sold-out crowd in Chicago, Reese is thrilled to see the women’s game still growing at a rapid rate.

“I love it,” Reese said. “I love this for women’s sports. They haven’t sold out crowds in a long time so being able to do this and being able to be here in this moment, continue to grow women’s basketball is important to me.”