Angel Reese had to play on the edge against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday night. However, she knew she could not afford to cross it. In a foul-heavy game, Reese found herself with four personal fouls by the second quarter. And so, she had to adjust her mindset quickly to avoid fouling out of the game.

“Kind of just playing smart, being composed and just controlling what I can control,” Reese said in the postgame conference, a video of which was shared by a fan account Vick on X. “I knew I had four and it was going to be another 20 minutes where I knew I couldn’t really get another one, or I would have to sit for a pretty long time. So, trying to stay on the court as much as I can.”

Interestingly, Angel Reese ended the game without picking up any more personal fouls. She managed to remain in the game, playing 18 of her total 29 minutes in the second half. And she wasn’t just on the court. She was actually impactful, scoring 15 of her total 21 points and grabbing six of her 11 rebounds after halftime. That ultimately did a great deal in helping the Dream scale through to their 108-101 win.

According to Reese, even the time she spent on the bench, she spent keeping things light with her teammates. “They were laughing with me and saying they don’t want me on the bench anymore because I’m joking around on the bench,” she said.

Perhaps that helped her maintain a bit more calmness as she returned to navigate the rest of the game without picking up another foul.

That was, however, not the case for Caitlin Clark, who had a much tenser game. Like Reese, she also had to go on the bench after her fifth foul to prevent her from fouling out of the game. And even though she did finish with 26 points, two rebounds, and seven assists, she could not contribute as much when she came back into the game with 3:28 left.

She’ll definitely be hoping for a different result when the two teams face again on Saturday. Regardless of the result, one thing is sure: it’ll be another intense game.

Angel Reese Says Dream’s Depth Gave Her Peace Despite Foul Trouble vs Fever

Even if Angel Reese ended up getting fouled out of the game and the Dream had to play without her against the Fever on Thursday night, she wasn’t worried. For her, the team had more than enough weapons to cope. And they even showed that for much of the second quarter.

“I think even when I was out the second quarter, and I didn’t play much in the second quarter, they did a great job,” Reese said in the postgame conference. “Being able to continue to pace, keep the energy high, finish our passes, finish our shots, finish our layups, and defensively we were great.”

That depth, for Reese, has become a genuine source of comfort. And perhaps that pressure-free atmosphere contributed to how she was able to maintain the calmness and discipline to play without getting any more fouls.

“It’s a breath of fresh air just being able to know that even when I do sit down, I’m not worried because this is a team and our team is so good,” she added. “We have so many different weapons from different players on this team. So, it’s really cool.”

They will be counting on that depth again in the next game. Hopefully, it comes through for them again.