ESPN broadcast calls out controversial flagrant foul on Angel Reese after upgrade

With 7:22 to go in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game against the New York Liberty, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese got called for a foul as she bumped into Leonie Fiebich. The referees went to the monitor, though, and upgraded it to a Flagrant 1.

Fiebich was heading back down the court when she and Reese collided. It happened in the open floor, and ESPN announcers Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo both thought it would stay a common foul.

As the review went on, Ruocco said he didn’t see Reese extend her arms, which is a sign of a flagrant foul. He thought it would stay a common foul.

“It was an unnecessary foul. Maybe a little – a little bit – of a lean,” Ruocco said. “I think that’s a common foul. There’s no extension there. It’s just a body bump to Fiebich running up the floor. I think that’s a common foul.”

After the officials announced the call, Ruocco expressed his surprise about the decision. Lobo noted one factor could have been the contact occurred to Fiebich’s blind side, but she added it wouldn’t get a whistle if it was an illegal screen.

“On Fiebich’s blind side,” Lobo said. “Because If you have that same amount of contact on just an illegal screen, it would be nothing.”

Reese was in the midst of a strong showing in Tuesday’s game against the Liberty. Through three quarters, she had 15 points and 10 rebounds as she recorded the 30th double-double of her young career.

Chicago is going up against the defending champs without its point guard. Courtney Vandersloot suffered a torn ACL last time out against the Indiana Fever and will miss the rest of the season. That means the Sky will turn to Hailey Van Lith and Rachel Banham at the point, and Angel Reese praised the way they’re handling the moment.

“Hailey and Rachel, they’ve worked hard in training camp and throughout the year,” Reese said after the first quarter of Tuesday’s game. “So I know that we’ve prepared for this moment, and also, I can help out, too.”

New York is looking to stay unbeaten to start the 2025 WNBA season. The Liberty entered Tuesday’s game with a perfect 8-0 record as they look to defend their title.

Chicago, meanwhile, is looking to get back on the winning side after a blowout loss to the Fever over the weekend. The Sky entered Tuesday with a 2-5 record, with both wins coming against the Dallas Wings.