Angel Reese and Kim Mulkey shared a warm embrace ahead of Reese’s first game back at LSU since entering the WNBA. The gesture served as a precursor for the celebration that followed.
Reese and her Chicago Sky opened their three-game preseason slate Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge as they faced off against the Brazilian national team. Reese and her fellow LSU-turned-Sky teammate Hailey Van Lith were honored before the game with flowers in the homecoming exhibition. Chicago cruised to an 89-62 victory.
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It didn’t take long for Reese to make her presence felt in her first game back at LSU since being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She drew a foul on Chicago’s first possession, attacking the rim with Mulkey watching from the nearby baseline. Two possessions later, Chicago guard Courtney Vandersloot found Reese for her first basket of the game. Reese, a 2024 WNBA All-Star and league leader in rebounds, finished the win with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes.
“It was happy to be back here, seeing all the familiar faces, just being able to see where I was able to build a legacy here,” Reese said. “Just being able to love and be loved and supported from away from home.”
Reese’s homecoming also marked the first game for new Chicago coach Tyler Marsh. Marsh, a former Las Vegas Aces assistant, was hired in early November, replacing Teresa Weatherspoon, who spent just a season with the franchise. After attempting a league-low 14.9 3-point attempts last year, the Sky took 12 first-half 3s in their preseason opener and finished the rout with 29 3-point attempts.
With Vandersloot leading the way in her return to the franchise — she spent the first 12 seasons of her career with Chicago before spending the last two with the New York Liberty — Chicago also played with more pace. The Sky finished the win with 24 fastbreak points, up from their 10.5 average a season ago.
Reese also played a role in Chicago scoring easy baskets, running the break and finding fellow second-year center Kamilla Cardoso just two minutes into the game. Reese, who led LSU to the 2023 national championship, later threw a three-quarter-court pass to guard Rachel Banham for an easy layup.
nice catch 😩#Skytown pic.twitter.com/u3COSHDUKe
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 3, 2025
Though Van Lith received her flowers before the game, it took until the second half for her to receive any cheers for her on-court production. Although she didn’t enter the exhibition until midway through the third quarter, Van Lith’s first basket came less than two minutes after she checked in, as she converted an and-1. Van Lith made the most of her 13 minutes, scoring 7 points and five assists in the second half.
Cardoso had 6 points and eight rebounds as 17 Chicago players scored.
Tough finish by Hailey Van Lith 😤#IONWNBA | @ChicagoSky pic.twitter.com/H2dEv5e8SQ
— WNBA on ION (@IONWNBA) May 3, 2025
Brazil will play in another homecoming game Sunday when it faces off against the Indiana Fever in Caitlin Clark’s return to Iowa. Chicago will be back in action Tuesday when it hosts the Minnesota Lynx.
“It was just a great support coming out,” Reese said. “As you can see, everybody came out and supported both teams, and I’m just happy to see where women’s basketball is.”
(Photo of Angel Reese and Manu Alves: Tyler Kaufman / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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