WNBA: Angel Reese continues fine start to professional career to help Chicago Sky overcome New York Liberty

Angel Reese continued her promising start to life in the WNBA, as Chicago Sky delivered New York Liberty's first loss of the season.

Liberty began the campaign on fire, with their three wins coming with an average margin of +19 points, but were stunned by Sky in a 91-80 defeat.

The brilliant performance was masterminded by coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who spent six years in the Big Apple as a player, as Chicago took a commanding lead in the second quarter and held on from there.

Much of the Barclays Center crowd was wearing her old No. 11 jersey, with Weatherspoon reflecting: "I know a lot of the faces. There was a connection. I love them and appreciate them and nothing will ever change that. Nothing."

On the court, it was Marina Mabrey who led the execution of her gameplan, top-scoring with 21 points and seven assists.

But it was Reese who again stole the headlines, putting up 13 points and nine rebounds. She has now racked up double figures in each of her first three WNBA games, and becomes only the third player in league history to make 15+ offensive rebounds across that period.

The 22-year-old has taken to the demands of the pro game superbly after a brilliant college career, which saw her develop a rivalry with Caitlin Clark - the woman who went No.1 in this year's draft, ultimately six places higher than Reese.

The latter's Louisiana State University pipped Clark's Iowa to the NCAA championship in 2023, with the trash-talking and debate only intensifying since.

The Indiana Fever star has attracted the ire of some fans and fellow players after dominating the headlines, with NBA icon Charles Barkley recently launching a staunch defence of her on TNT Sports.

Barkley said: "Y'all petty. Y'all should be thanking that girl for getting y'all a-- private charters, all the money and visibility she's bringing to the WNBA."

Seemingly in response to that, Reese followed up her performance in New York with a thinly-veiled jab at Clark on X (Twitter): "And that's on getting a WIN in a packed arena not just cause of one player on our charter flight."

Reese's next chance to impress comes versus the Connecticut Sun at home on Saturday, while New York are back in action against the Minnesota Lynx, live on TNT Sports 4 and discovery+ at 18:00 BST on the same evening.

Elsewhere in the WNBA, the Sun and Lynx went into overtime to settle their thriller 83-82, as Connecticut stretched their unbeaten start to 4-0. DeWanna Bonner sunk two free-throws with seven seconds on the clock to win the game.

The other matchup of the night saw the Washington Mystics launch a big fourth-quarter comeback, but it was ultimately in vain as the Phoenix Mercury came out 83-80 winners to pile on the misery for the 0-5 Mystics.

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