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Angel Reese impressed with a double-double during the Chicago Sky’s 91-83 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday, but it was her flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark that will likely generate plenty of discourse in the aftermath.
“Basketball play, I can’t control the refs,” she told reporters when asked about the play in question. “They affected the game, obviously, a lot today.”
Bleacher Report@BleacherReport
Angel Reese was called for a flagrant 1 for this foul on Caitlin Clark<br><br>(via <a href=”https://twitter.com/CBSSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CBSSports</a>)<a href=”https://t.co/8JdiqzD2dC”>pic.twitter.com/8JdiqzD2dC</a>
Anything involving Reese and Clark is going to receive additional attention given the high-profile nature of their rookie seasons and overall connection to each other that date back to college.
They played each other in the 2023 national championship game in college, and Reese led her LSU Tigers to a victory and then celebrated by pointing to her ring finger and breaking out the “you can’t see me” celebration that Clark herself often did.
However, Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes earned some revenge with an Elite Eight win over LSU this past season.
The rivalry reached another level in their first WNBA matchup on June 1 when the Fever won 71-70 in a game that was defined by Sky guard Chennedy Carter knocking Clark to the ground. She was issued an away-from-the-play foul in the moment, and the WNBA upgraded it to a flagrant upon review.
Whether it was Carter refusing to answer questions about Clark and then criticizing her on social media or Reese being fined $1,000 for not making herself available to the media in the aftermath of the loss, the game led to plenty of back-and-forth in the aftermath.
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Reese did speak to reporters after Sunday’s loss, but it wasn’t all about Clark.
She also said, “I’m not used to losing like this, but I’m gonna be mad and sad about it or I’m going to get up and figure out what I can do better.”
Chicago is just 4-9 on the season and has struggled in the early going of what figures to be a rebuilding year. But there are plenty of promising pieces in place, including notable rookies in Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.
They both notched double-doubles in the loss with the former posting 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals and the latter finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
As long as they both continue to improve with more experience, the future figures to be much brighter for Reese and the Sky.
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EVERY ANGLE OF KATE MARTIN ‘S FIRST WNBA POINTS WITH THE LAS VEGAS ACES
Every Angle of Kate Martin ‘s First WNBA Points With The Las Vegas Aces
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Kate Martin Makes First WNBA Start for Las Aces Vegas, Scores Career-High
Kate Martin made her first career start with the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, scoring a career-high 13 points. She’s made a lot of progress in a short time, going from a second-round pick to a WNBA starter.
It didn’t take long for Kate Martin to find a spot in the starting rotation. On Sunday, the Las Vegas Aces rookie made her first career start in the WNBA, as the team faced the Los Angeles Sparks.
Martin made the most of her opportunity, too. The former Iowa star scored a career-high 13 points, making five-of-seven shots from the floor. She was also converted on all three of her shots from behind the 3-point line.
Along with her 13-point night, Martin also grabbed four rebounds and had three assists. Unfortunately for the Aces, it wasn’t enough to get the win. Los Angeles defeated Las Vegas 96-92.
Even though the Aces fell short, it was still an impressive showing from Martin, who has been one of the WNBA’s pleasant surprises this year. She was a second-round pick in this year’s draft, but quickly earned the respect of her teammates for her basketball IQ and attitude towards the game.
Martin has appeared in eight of Las Vegas’ nine games this season. She’s averaging 5.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while logging just over 21 minutes per contest. The rookie is also shooting 36.1% from the floor and 39.1% from 3-point range.
In ESPN’s rookie rankings, Martin ranked third, behind Sparks’ Cameron Brink and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. She’s not just making an impact with her teammates, everyone watching the WNBA is taking notice of the former Hawkeyes’ production.
Martin and the Aces will be back in action on Tuesday night, hosting the Minnesota Lynx. That game airs on NBA TV at 10 p.m. ET.
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KATE MARTIN WITH THE LAS VEGAS ACES IS A JOY FOR ALL OF US
Kate Martin with The Las Vegas Aces is a Joy for All of Us
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Teenager Has Unforgettable Interaction With Aces’ Kate Martin At Recent Game
A teenage WNBA fan had an unforgettable experience at Friday night’s Las Vegas Aces game thanks to one particular rookie.
Brooklyn, 15, loves women’s basketball and has been an Aces fan since day one. She was excited when the franchise drafted Kate Martin and got a unique chance to interact with her at Friday night’s game.
Teenager Has Memorable Moment At Friday’s Aces Game
YouTube | Las Vegas AcesMercedes Martinez, Brooklyn’s mom, shared her daughter’s interaction with Martin in two TikTok videos. Part one showed that Brooklyn made a sign that reads, “Rock, Paper, Scissors for your Shoes?” and the video quickly went viral.
Martinez talked to The Blast exclusively to share the exciting experience.
“We are Aces fans and have been since day one! We’ve been to about four or five games but always watch on TV when we can. I’ve been lucky enough to meet most of the players through my job,” she told The Blast.
“My daughter Brooklyn, not only loves the WNBA, but she loves women’s college basketball, too. When the Aces drafted Kate Martin, she was excited.”
Martinez’s friends are season ticket holders and sold her their tickets for Friday night so she could take both her daughters. Brooklyn asked if she could get a Martin jersey at the arena, and Martinez agreed.
“As we headed to our seats, we saw a sign-making station. She asked if she could make one to welcome Kate Martin to the team,” she continued. “I said she should ask her to play rock, paper, scissors to get her attention. Then she made that sign about her shoes.”
Kate Martin Played Rock, Paper, Scissors With Brooklyn!
The seats that Martinez and her daughters had were so close to the players on the court that nearly every Aces player high-fived Brooklyn on and off the court.
“During warmups, she yelled, ‘Kate’ and showed her the sign. We couldn’t believe when she played,” she told The Blast. “We laughed so hard after she won, not even caring if she got shoes. Kate Martin played rock, paper, scissors with her! That’s a win for her!”
But the excitement didn’t end there. After the game, Martin walked directly over to Brooklyn, so she pulled out the jersey she just bought and the two had an interaction that can be seen in the second video on TikTok.
“We will never forget what she did and I will forever be grateful to her for the joy she brought to all of us,” Martinez shared. “Go Aces!”
TikTok Viewers Were Happy To See Such A Heartwarming Moment!
Martinez’s first video received more than 1 million views in less than a day. The second video, shared hours after the first one, has received more than 470,000 views so far.
Many viewers dropped into the comment section to share their excitement for Brooklyn’s moment with Martin.
“At least she remembered, signed the jersey, and took a photo. Shoot that’s a WIN!” one viewer wrote. Another added, “I will say, she always wears those shoes so they are probably her fave. I’m happy she signed your daughter’s stuff. She’s a class act.”
Another viewer pointed out, “‘It’s the only pair I got,’ I love her, she’s so wholesome.”
Kate Martin Made ESPN’s Top WNBA Rookie Ranking
YouTube | Las Vegas Aces
At the end of the first month of the WNBA season, ESPN released its ranking of the top 9 rookies, and Martin made the list!
- Cameron Brink, Los Angeles SparksAngel Reese, Chicago SkyKate Martin, Las Vegas AcesRickea Jackson, Los Angeles SparksJulie Vanloo, Washington MysticsCaitlin Clark, Indiana FeverAaliyah Edwards, Washington MysticsSevgi Uzun, Dallas WingsLeonie Fiebich, New York Liberty
According to Sports Illustrated, ESPN WNBA writer Neil Paine explained that various statistics and metrics were used to create the list. The primary three metrics used were: Win Shares, Estimated Wins Added, and Player Efficiency Rating.
“Each estimate of wins created is then averaged into a single metric, called Consensus Wins, which can be used to rank qualified rookies on a per-minute basis. (We’re ranking this way to keep things fair because some teams have played nearly twice as many games as others),” Paine said.
“As an added wrinkle, we’ll be grading each rookie on a percentile scale (0 to 100) relative to all WNBA players this season in their scoring (based on points per 100 possessions), true shooting percentage, passing (based on assist rate), rebounding rate and defensive impact (based on both SPR and defensive rating). That way, we can see why players rank where they do — and what they might do to improve over the rest of their debut season.”
Kate Martin’s Story Is A Cinderella Story
Martin’s story is a real-life Cinderella story.
She went to the WNBA Draft to support her former teammate and friend, Caitlin Clark. Martin was seated in the audience, and was approached by a woman who worked the event who told her, “You need to move seats right now.”
And then a magical moment happened. Martin was selected with the No. 18 overall pick by the Aces.
The Aces rookie seems to be fitting into her new team flawlessly, based on social media posts. Martin recently celebrated her birthday and her teammates went all out! They even pranked her by making her think the bus left without her and had her running behind it.
Social media followers have taken note of how easy Martin’s transition to the start of her WNBA career has been.
“New to the WNBA. Not gonna lie. But I’m so impressed with how the Aces have embraced Kate! Iowa has loved Kate for years but now we love the Aces too!” one Instagram user wrote.
Another added, “She fits perfectly on this team!”
