‘Female Dennis Rodman,’ ‘Mebound Machine’ — WNBA World Divided As Angel Reese Makes History vs. Sparks
· Yahoo Sports
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese rebounded her way into the record books not once, but twice on Monday night.
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In Atlanta’s 78-71 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, Reese recorded 26 rebounds to shatter Chamique Holdsclaw’s single-game record (24) set back in 2003. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Reese had already surpassed A’ja Wilson’s single-season rebounding record of 451.
Angel Reese Becoming WNBA’s Rebounding Royalty Sparks Mixed Reactions
Reese finished the night with 458 total rebounds for the season, scoring 11 points to help Atlanta clinch a fourth consecutive road win.
The Dream needed every single one of those 26 rebounds to survive their sluggish offense, as Los Angeles kept the game tight, forcing them into tough late-clock situations. Reese pulled down 8 offensive rebounds, with every missed jumper from Atlanta seemingly ending up in her hands.
She logged 38 minutes and added 3 assists and 3 steals. However, her touch around the rim was erratic, shooting 4-for-14 from the floor.
A dominant rebounding night but poor efficiency sparked a flurry of reactions across social media, with one user stating, “20-12 with over 50% FG percentage must be the standard. She is really elite at rebounding, just needs to touch up on her scoring prowess and she is going to dominate.”
“Generational rebounder,” one X handle declared, before comparing her to a Chicago Bulls legend: “The female Dennis Rodman but better offensively.”
Monday night was a statistical pendulum for Reese. Just days earlier in the same building, she scored 20 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting in a 124-88 blowout win against the Sparks.
“Mebound machine!” one user claimed.
“Show her field-goal percentage!” another chimed in.
Currently shooting just 43.7% from the floor this season, Reese seemed to adjust her approach on Monday, bullying Los Angeles on the interior instead, using positioning and lower-body strength to create space.
“Last time I was here, I didn’t miss any shots,” Reese said after the game. “Tonight I couldn’t hit anything, so I knew I was going to be able to get them on the rebounding side. I just want to be there for my team. Offensively, defensively, whatever it takes to win.”
Nonetheless, Reese’s teammates were quick to recognize the magnitude of her performance.
Dream guard Allisha Gray summed up the sentiment: “I was looking at the stat thing, and I’m like, dang … I don’t think in my life I got more than 10 rebounds.”
Atlanta returns to the Gateway Center Arena on Friday night to host the Portland Fire, and with the way Reese has been performing lately, Dream fans likely won’t mind misses as long as they are paired with game-changing production.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.