Michael Voepel, ESPN editor-in-chief
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese had her third straight game with at least 20 rebounds on Sunday, while tying the WNBA record for most double-doubles by a rookie with 22.
Reese scored 11 points and had 22 rebounds, but the Sky lost 77-75 to the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on MVP favorite A’ja Wilson’s buzzer-beating basket.
Reese became the first WNBA player to have a consecutive 20-rebound game on Friday.
The last NBA player to reach 20 rebounds in three consecutive games was Ben Wallace with the Detroit Pistons in 2003. The last NBA player before Wallace to reach that number (or more) was Wilt Chamberlain, who had multiple such streaks in 1973 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reese’s 22 double-doubles match the rookie double-double total set by Tina Charles in 2010, when she played for Connecticut. The WNBA’s single-season record for double-doubles is 28, set by Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas last season.
Reese just missed tying Charles’ single-game rebounding record of 23. The Sky tied the single-game season record this year with 47 rebounds; the Aces had 44.
Reese shot 4 of 16 from the field Sunday, with neither team shooting well: 38.3 percent for the Aces, 36.6 percent for the Sky. Wilson missed a career-high 20 shots (8 of 28) but made the game-winner on a throw-in pass from Chelsea Gray.
Wilson reached 4,500 career points in 217 games on Sunday, tying New York’s Breanna Stewart for the fastest-ever scorer in WNBA history. The league’s all-time leading scorer, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi, reached 4,500 points in 219 games.
Wilson’s game-winning goal came just after Sky guard Chennedy Carter made a three-pointer to tie the game. Carter finished with a game-high 25 points.
The Aces won and moved to 18-11. The Sky fell to 11-18. They have lost three straight and four of their last five since the WNBA resumed play after the Olympic break. The Sky are 4-10 at home this season.
Chicago now holds a half-game lead over Atlanta (10-18) for the eighth and final playoff spot.
