“Turnovers have been our Achilles’ heel,” Tyler Marsh had admitted after concluding that the Chicago Sky’s most persistent challenge this season is that of losing possessions at critical moments. As the newly appointed head coach, Marsh has already weathered a string of unexpected hurdles. Despite a promising momentum after securing the third win, the Sky’s revival was abruptly stalled. Thanks to a sharp blow from Brittney Sykes and rookie Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics. The two successfully pushed the Sky back to the losing side of the spectrum.
With a 3-8 stat score on the Eastern Conference standings, the Chicago Sky had a dominant start against the Mystics. Though Angel Reese averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, she was also instrumental in adding a total of 7 turnovers to the team. Unhappy about the loss, Angel Reese admitted to the error during a post-game interview. “I got to be better and that’s on me,” Reese said. “I’m going to take that with the turnovers ‘cuz they scored 40 points off of our 25 turnovers and seven of those were mine. So we clean that up obviously.”
Talking about the third quarter during the interview, a reporter explicitly questioned Angel Reese’s teammate, Ariel Atkins if she can pinpoint the exact issues during those crucial, make-or-break moments. However, after just 45 seconds into Reese’s explanation of everything that went South with the Sky, Atkins said, “No, that’s what we got to figure out. I don’t have an answer for you.” She further apologized for a lack of answer and added, “That’s what we got to figure out. We’ll figure that out.“
This reply comes as a shock as it indicates that Atkins did not find anything wrong within Sky’s gameplay during the third quarter. However, the massive 25-turnover issue cost a narrow 79-72 loss to the Sky. On the other hand, the Mystics converted the Sky’s loss into an opportunity and secured 40 points from the 25 turnovers. Moreover, Reese further reflected on the team’s overall performance and pointed out that the Sky could have won if she did not mess up.
“We could have won this game. So, we’re definitely going to look at ourselves, obviously tonight,” she said. “Because we were up most of the game- first quarter, second quarter, and then our third quarter- just haven’t been very strong.” Reese had explicitly explained the reason for the team’s downfall just seconds before Atkins made the statement.
Though the Sky led comfortably by halftime, Washington flipped the script in the third quarter, exploding with a 24–12 run. The Mystics’ defense, energized by Brittney Sykes’s aggressive play, forced nine Sky turnovers, swinging momentum decisively. Angel Reese, doubled in the paint, contributed to the trouble with four or five turnovers that quarter alone (seven total on the night), as Chicago struggled to regain footing.
Ariel Atkins stands in support of Angel Reese
“Her crown is heavy, so whatever else y’all wanna come at her for; the way she acts, you have to build a wall.” Veteran guard, Ariel Atkins stood in support of Angel Reese after a grueling match against the Indiana Fever. While the team had everything in their favor, they still suffered a crushing blow against the so-called rivals. Needless to say, the rival fans can turn gruesome if the opponents do not secure a victory.
credit – Imagn
Reese opened up about the online trolling and abuse that she suffered after the second Fever-Sky game came to a close. And while she was expressing herself in a press meet, Ariel Atkins took the center stage to defend her. “This is a 23-year-old kid. And the amount of crap that she gets on a day-to-day, she still shows up,” Atkins said. “So, whatever questions y’all got about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it. But all the other nonsense, like, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do.”
She urged the reporters to stick to profession-related questions. And while other players do not get the same scrutiny as Reese, it is also probably because the fans expect so much more from the athlete. But as the roster undergoes a rebuilding phase with the new head coach, Tyler Marsh and the team need to urgently swim out of their miseries and onto the brighter side. Especially as they prepare to face Phoenix Mercury in game two on the Wintrust Arena.
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