Angel Reese found herself on the wrong side of the highlight against Puerto Rico in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

After Team USAB forced a steal and started pushing the ball up the host nation's half in the second quarter, Monique Billings passed the ball to Reese with the intention of Reese finishing the play with her signature layup.

However, Imani McGee-Stafford, half-sister of three-time WNBA champion JaVale McGee, had other plans. She came in between Reese and the rim and swatted the ball a long way. This moment quickly became viral on social media, causing discourse about Reese's verticality.

McGee-Stafford ended the game with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 more blocks, leading her team in all three categories. McGee-Stafford's thunderous block against Reese was one of only a few noteworthy moments for Puerto Rico, as Team USAB completely outscored them 91-48 in a one-sided affair.

Reese, in particular, had a good game apart from the lowlight moment. Coming on in the final four minutes of the first half, she finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists and was one of the crucial performers for the USA's dominant win alongside top scorer Paige Bueckers (16 points).

In addition, Angel Reese had a plus-minus rating of +17 in the game, and her efficiency of 20 was just behind the eventual player of the match, Paige Bueckers, who finished with 22.

This further highlights that one rough sequence from Reese does not define her otherwise solid performance.

Angel Reese's Mom Criticises Referees During USA-Puerto Rico Qualifiers

The officials kept Angel Reese in check throughout the game, with the Chicago Sky forward accumulating four fouls in just 16 minutes of action.

This made Angel Webb Reese, the mom of the 23-year-old, suspicious about the calls made against her daughter.

Noticing this, she took to X and wrote, "These FIBA referees," not forgetting to add a sceptical emoji alongside her post.

Web Reese was a former player herself, so she has a pretty good understanding of the conversations the players have with the referees.

Although after the game finished with Team USA's convincing 43-point victory, Reese's mom felt more optimistic as she wrote, "2 down, 3 more to go," adding in a strength emoji this time around.

Team 's next opponents will be Italy on March 15, immediately followed by New Zealand the next day, and the tour will be completed with Spain as their final game on March 18.

Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi