CHICAGO — Angel Reese was ejected after receiving two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night.
Reese was called for her fifth foul with 2 minutes, 31 seconds remaining in the Chicago Sky’s 88-75 loss to the New York Liberty. According to the pool report, Reese was “disrespectful” to referee Charles Watson, who called her for a technical foul. Reese waved dismissively as she walked away from Watson, who called her for another technical foul, resulting in an automatic ejection.
“Reese then waved off the official in anger at the call and was assessed a second technical foul,” the pool report stated. “Because these were two separate actions, the two technical fouls combined resulted in Angel Reese being ejected from the game.”
Players on both teams looked on in confusion, and the near-capacity crowd at Wintrust Arena booed Reese loudly as he left the court. Chicago Bulls’ Lonzo Ball, who was sitting near where the play occurred, called the umpire “weak” and suggested Reese should be fined.
The technical errors were Reese’s first and second of the season, each of which will result in a $200 penalty.
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“Whatever the refs felt was the right call, that’s the call,” Sky veteran Marina Mabry said. “For us, being young in the WNBA, it’s all about staying calm, so you have to get to know the refs and how they react to things.”
The ejection came three days after the Sky were heavily criticized for Chennedy Carter’s sharp shoulder check on Kaitlyn Clark and the team’s response to it. Reese was seen praising Carter after the foul, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant I, and coach Teresa Weatherspoon tried to sideline questions about the incident after the game.
