“Tonight was the most complete game we’ve played all year, including our two wins against Dallas and the win against Connecticut,” was what Tyler Marsh said after Sky’s recent loss against the Atlanta Dream. Since the team sat at 3-10 with back-to-back losses within a span of 48 hours, the statement by the head coach came as a surprise to many. But, just one game ahead, and everything seems to be falling into place.

It all came together as Angel Reese & Co. entered Wintrust Arena to lock horns against the Los Angeles Sparks. Sparks looked dominant early, running to a 10-2 lead in under 90 seconds and wrapping the first quarter up with a comfy 27-17 cushion. Chicago, not ready to fold their hand just yet, chipped away and trimmed it to 31-28 early in the second. But the Sparks revived themselves again, stretching it to 44-32. But then, the Sky made yet another comeback and slid into halftime trailing just 48-42. So, while the Sky never led much throughout the game, they did not give up completely to their third-quarter woes as well.

All thanks to second-year stars, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. While Cardoso had 12 of her career-high 27 points in the fourth quarter, Reese had 18 points with 17 rebounds to record her eighth double-double as the Sky controlled the glass by a 36-27 margin. And that wasn’t all. Reese even contributed six assists and four steals to drive the team toward the win. That’s how Sky ended up snapping a three-game losing streak despite falling behind late in the first quarter.

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But while the team ended up with a win, Angel Reese didn’t forget to put forward a demand. Per an X video from the post-game press conference shared by Chicago State of Mind Sports captioned, “Angel Reese on trusting the process. #Skytown,” the young star was iterated a very important point, “Like I said, kudos to the guards because we be seeing y’all. Y’all gonna add some Twitter and sh– like that, so I need y’all to just let them hoop. Like, it’s gonna be a process,” she shared. “Obviously, a lot of people are playing out of position”. So, in essence, she was calling out to both the online chatter and her own teammates, asking everyone, on and off the court, for a little consistency.

And honestly, it all makes sense. Just consider how the team has been a young roster, with Reese and Cardoso in their second year, while Hailey Van Lith is a rookie. Reese, too, admits the competition and the setbacks, as she shared: “They’re going against the best guards…they have probably never guarded before—even though they’re eight, nine years in. Like, just trust the process. Give them some grace, give us some grace, and give Tyler and the staff grace, because this is a lot of our first and second years of this. And it’s hard.”

Well, it is true that the team has been struggling hard to find its pace this season. Even Chi-Town Barbie herself has endured challenges, as she ended up recording one of her worst performances this season against the New York Liberty, securing only two points.

But even in moments of growth, the backlash did not stop. When she became the fastest player to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds, the milestone was quickly overshadowed by critics calling her numbers “forced” and branding her boards as “mebounds”—a term used to describe Reese rebounding her own missed shots. So it’s no surprise that Reese is now calling for support over slander.

After all, she’s proven she can take the heat and still level up, in just her second year.

Love her or hate her, but Angel Reese is here to stay!

While it’s pretty common to see Angel Reese asking fans to back her up, this season, the way she’s been handling criticism has taken a sharp, more calculated turn. First, there was the controversy during a game against the Indiana Fever, when Reese filed a formal complaint about alleged racial comments. That even led to the W launching an investigation showing just how seriously she’s been taking things off the court.

Then came her next power move: Trademarking the term “mebounds”. Instead of letting the term drag her down, she turned it into a brand. And what followed was anticipation around jerseys, caps, and apparel, sending a message loud and clear: If you’re going to talk about her, she’s going to profit from it. It was a silent jab, no doubt, but effective. And it didn’t stop there.

She backed it up with improved performances, cutting down on second-chance rebounds from her own missed layups and tightening up her efficiency. Even in the recent matchup, her message was unmistakable. After Chicago’s win over the Sparks, Reese posted on Twitter, “DUBS IN THE CHATTTTT.” The same message she frequently uses after victories, and had also posted after her triple-double this year. Funnily enough, this was also the same message that Kelsey Plum had used to taunt Reese after Sparks’ earlier victory over the Sky.

Reese even showed off her evolving skill set, threading passes to Cardoso and Ariel Atkins, and finishing tough looks down low.

But the game changer was Cardoso finishing a layup off a pick-and-roll with Rachel Banham to break a 72-all tie late in the fourth quarter. From that point on, Chicago never looked back. And, with this win, the Sky improved to 4-10 and will now aim to build on this momentum as they begin a four-game road trip starting Friday against the Golden State Valkyries.