Angel Reese Scripts WNBA History With Record-Breaking Rebounding Night as Dream Dominate Sky in Impressive Fashion
Atlanta's 106-81 win over Chicago on Saturday night carried a league first, as Angel Reese became the first player to reach 500 rebounds in one WNBA season. Reese finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Angel Reese has been piling up rebounds all season, and Saturday night in Atlanta brought a number no WNBA player had ever reached. The Dream marked the occasion with a 106-81 win over the Chicago Sky, their third of the season against them.
The night carried a personal edge too, since Chicago is the former team of the Atlanta forward. With two regular-season games left, the Dream wanted a clean win to carry into Brooklyn. The first half gave little hint of a blowout. The second half did.
How Angel Reese Made WNBA History with 500 Rebounds in One Season
Angel Reese pulled down her 500th rebound of the season during the first half on Saturday, and no player in league history had gotten there before. The Dream forward already owned the single-season rebounding record, so this was a case of a record breaking itself. The team's PR account (@ATLDreamPR) marked the moment with a short post: "500 REBOUNDS. UNCHARTED TERRITORY."
Reese grabbed 446 boards in 2024, which was second that year to A'ja Wilson's 451. This season the 24-year-old star is averaging 16.5 points and 12.4 rebounds a game. Saturday's line was 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. It was also the 31st double-double of the year (double figures in both points and rebounds), which pushes another WNBA record higher.
Angel Reese And The Dream Turn a Tight First Half Into a Rout
The teams tied eight times and swapped the lead 17 times, and neither side went up by more than four. Seven Chicago players scored. The Sky led 39-38 with 3:40 left in the half, until Kamilla Cardoso picked up a third foul and went to the bench.
Atlanta used the opening. Reese scored six points during a late surge, and Rhyne Howard hit a three to make it 51-47 at the break.
Then the game turned. Early in the second half, the Dream went on a 12-0 run, helped by a four-point play from Allisha Gray and a fast-break basket from Reese, and the lead grew to 70-53. Atlanta won the third quarter 32-19 and the second half 55-34. The margin peaked at 27. The shooting told the same story, with the Dream making 13 of 26 from three-point range while Chicago hit 4 of 20.
Isobel Borlase gave the bench a season-high 18 points, including threes on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter. Gray finished with 17 and Howard with 14. Jordin Canada had 11 points and 10 assists. DeWanna Bonner added eight points, including two long threes in the first half, in the third game since an August trade from the Phoenix Mercury.
Gabriela Jaquez led Chicago with 14 points. Cardoso and Aicha Coulibaly each had 11, and the Bleacher Report box score shows Courtney Vandersloot with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds.
The win lifts Atlanta to 28-14, with three straight victories and seven in its last eight.