It’s been another lost season for Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, as the club is going to miss the WNBA playoffs for the second year in a row. 

The Sky have already been eliminated from playoff contention following the Los Angeles Sparks’ thrilling win against the Dallas Wings on Thursday. But while there’s nothing tangible for the Sky to play for, they dug deep enough on Friday to stun the reigning WNBA champions.

Playing against Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty in enemy territory, the Sky used a strong start to gain confidence against a heavily favored opponent. Chicago was only down by two points a the half, and that’s after Natasha Cloud hit a late 3-pointer to close out the second period. 

Behind the combo of Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, the Sky dominated in the second half by ruling the paint and the glass. When it was all said and done, the Sky were on top, 91-85. They outrebounded the Breanna Stewart-less New York by 15 and smoked the Liberty’s defense for 52 points in the paint.

For much of the criticism Reese has absorbed, especially online, her performance since her return from a seven-game absence due to injury has left little for detractors to pick on. Against the Liberty, she had 21 points and 10 rebounds (only one off the offensive glass) while shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. Prior to that, she scored 19 points on 9-for-13 shooting to go with seven rebounds (three offensive), four steals and a block.

Reese also hit a milestone in the Liberty game, as she became the fastest ever in the history of the WNBA to collect 300 rebounds in a season. 

“It was a team effort,” Reese said following the win, per WNBA reporter Karli Bell. “Kudos to our guards tonight for playing so well against [Sabrina]. Ariel did a great job guarding her.”

Cardoso torched the Liberty for 21 points and 10 rebounds while Ariel Atkins provided 19 points, five rebounds and five assists.

As a team, the Sky shot 50 percent from the field and made up for their salty 4-for-18 shooting from deep by destroying the Liberty inside the arc and winning the free-throw battle with 25 makes from the charity stripe to just 12 by New York.

Looking ahead, the Sky will host the Connecticut Sun on Saturday before a tough assignment against the Las Vegas Aces on Monday at home.