Angel Reese ejection: Understanding why Chicago Sky center was sent out vs New York Liberty following 4th quarter meltdown

Angel Reese experienced her first WNBA career ejection late in the Chicago Sky’s game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday. With 2:31 remaining, Angel Reese appeared to say something as a referee approached her, leading to a technical foul call.

As Reese walked away in disbelief, the referee called a second technical foul, resulting in her ejection from the game.

Watch the incident here:

According to WNBA writer Eric Nemchock, Angel Reese directed expletives at the referee, but even Liberty player Sabrina Ionescu was surprised by the ejection, reportedly saying:

"She got two techs just for saying that's bulls**t?"

While it's not confirmed if those were the exact words that led to Reese's ejection, they were apparently enough to get her thrown out of the game.

Angel Reese left with 13 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 3-of-12 from the field and making seven of her eight free throws.

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky suffer 5th loss after 4th quarter meltdown vs New York Liberty

The Chicago Sky managed to stay competitive with the New York Liberty but faltered in the final quarter.

After trailing by 16 points in the first quarter, 31-15, the Sky bounced back with a strong 33-18 second quarter, narrowing the lead to one at halftime.

They took a one-point lead after the third quarter but ran out of steam in the fourth, where they were outscored 23-9.

The Sky struggled offensively in the fourth, shooting just 12.5% (2-of-16), while the Liberty made 10 of their 20 field goal attempts.

Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with a game-high 33 points on 14-for-25 shooting, along with 14 rebounds and three assists. Sabrina Ionescu contributed 24 points, including four three-pointers, and added seven rebounds and four assists.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had 14 points and five assists, Jonquel Jones added five points and 12 rebounds, and Courtney Vandersloot recorded six points, four rebounds and six assists for the Liberty, who improved to an 8-2 record, the second-best in the league.

For the Sky, Chennedy Carter led the scoring with 16 points off the bench. Marina Mabrey contributed 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Elizabeth Williams had 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Chicago Sky had 26 bench points compared to New York’s six. The Liberty capitalized on turnovers, scoring 17 points off 10 Sky turnovers.

Up next for the Sky are the Washington Mystics, the Atlanta Dream and the Connecticut Sun.

The Liberty's next three games will be against the same opponents: the Dream, the Sun and the Mystics.