Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese was struck in the face by Connecticut Sun star Aaliyah Edwards during Thursday night's game at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Dream clinched a 104-69 win over the Sun in a matchup where tensions ran high.
The second-quarter incident occurred when Reese, a former LSU star, attempted a layup while being double-teamed. As she got the shot up, Edwards fouled her from behind, clobbering Reese in the face and head area.
Edwards toppled backwards and fell to the floor behind Reese. The enraged Dream forward turned, stood over Edwards, and shouted at her.
Reese continued expressing her anger on the sidelines, gesturing moments later to indicate that Edwards had smacked her in the neck. Following a review, officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1.
The foul was not the only tough moment of the game for Reese, who finished with eight points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals. Early in the first quarter, Brittney Griner brutally rejected a shot by Reese, and Griner went on to block two more of Reese's shots throughout the game.
DiJonai Carrington Foul Controversy
The foul on Reese comes after recent controversy surrounding Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington that has engulfed the WNBA in another storm. On Saturday, Carrington came from behind and hit Indiana Fever player Cunningham in the head and neck on a layup, knocking her to the court as the shot went in.
The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 before Carrington was ejected from the game. After getting tossed, Carrington posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever" to her Threads account.
It is not clear what Carrington was referring to, especially after she responded to a clip from the "Speakeasy" podcast with former NFL player Emmanuel Acho saying she "never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege."
Carrington added, "I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it."
Carrington claimed her foul on Cunningham was "unfortunate" and "never intentional" when she returned to the court Monday night. Speaking after scoring a career-high 26 points in a 97-88 loss to Seattle, Carrington addressed the incident.
Carrington said, "It was unfortunate that I made contact with her in the way that I did, but it was never intentional. And, look, it might happen again. That’s just how I play. I’m gonna always go all out."
She added, "I’m not gonna just let an open layup happen. But like I said, I’m never intending to hurt anybody, regardless of the outside noise or whatever the situation may be."
Subsequent Wednesday Night Incidents
Carrington came under fire from fans again on Wednesday night after committing more brutal fouls. She was first seen appearing to poke Cecilia Zandalasini in the eye while trying to block a pass.
The move was eerily similar to one Carrington pulled on Caitlin Clark in 2024 that left the Indiana Fever star with a black eye.
Moments later, Tiffany Hayes was driving to the basket while Carrington had her arms in the air. As Hayes dribbled past her, Carrington lowered her right arm straight into the face of her opponent, nowhere near the ball, catching Hayes straight in the face.
