Angel Reese extends double-double streak in front of record-breaking Barclays Center crowd

NEW YORK (AP) — Angel Reese was completely happy to maintain her record-breaking streak alive, she just wished it ended with a victory.

The Chicago Sky rookie sensation broke her WNBA record along with her fifteenth consecutive double-double in Thursday’s 91-76 loss to the New York Liberty.

“The basketball gods keep blessing me. I don’t even know how I did it,” Reese said after her 10-point, 10-rebound performance. “Obviously, I didn’t have a great night tonight.”

It was the second time in two days that the ultimate minutes were crucial for her to maintain her streak alive. On Wednesday, she did just that, hitting two free throws in the ultimate seconds of a house win.

“I just try to go out there and do everything I can to win,” Reese said.

She struggled against New York’s big front line on Thursday and had just 4 points and three rebounds at halftime. She scored her tenth point with a little bit under 4 minutes left after which grabbed three rebounds over the subsequent two minutes to perform that feat.

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When she grabbed her tenth rebound with 2:12 left in the sport, a roar erupted from the packed crowd that had given her a thunderous standing ovation during her pre-game introduction.

“She competes hard, it’s not about the records, it’s about the wins,” Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “She puts in the work, it just so happens that every time you look at the stat sheet, she has another double-double. I’m sure she’d like to win more than just a double-double.”

Reese, who was drafted seventh overall, last Sunday broke Candace Parker’s record of 12 consecutive double-doubles.

“I still have a long way to go, but to be recognized alongside some of the best is amazing,” she said.

The 17,758 fans who showed up for the sport at Barclays Center set a record for attendance at a Liberty home game — breaking the previous high set earlier this season against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Reese was an enormous reason for that.

“I built a platform outside of basketball, and I think a lot of people love me. I have nails, I have hair, eyelashes. I’m Barbie,” she said. “A lot of girls look up to me, they say I want to be like you. They want to wear pink, they want to do girly things, but also be a dog on the court.”