Reese Confronts Ionescu During WNBA Semifinal Clash

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese confronted New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu during Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals after a second-quarter hard screen on Isobel Borlase sparked a heated exchange between the teams on Friday.

According to Sports Illustrated, Ionescu received an offensive foul after setting the screen on Borlase, and Reese immediately approached her to defend her teammate. Players from both teams stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating.

Reese continued speaking toward Ionescu as the Liberty player moved back toward her bench, with Rhyne Howard and DeWanna Bonner helping separate them, according to The Mirror. The officials reviewed the incident and did not issue Reese a technical foul.

"You can't do that!" said Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream forward.

The exchange followed a previous play in which Borlase had made contact with Ionescu while driving to the basket. Sports Illustrated reported that Ionescu appeared frustrated after no foul was called on that earlier possession before the screen incident.

Later in the second quarter, Reese had another confrontation, this time with Liberty center Jonquel Jones. The two received technical fouls after Jones blocked one of Reese's shots and the players exchanged words near the basket, according to The Mirror.

Jones had also blocked one of Reese's shots earlier in the game. After the second confrontation, Jones reacted toward the crowd as officials separated the players.

"Come on!" said Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty center.

The Liberty entered Game 3 facing elimination in the best-of-five series, while Atlanta was seeking a sweep and a place in the WNBA Finals, according to The Mirror.

New York star Breanna Stewart addressed the team's previous Game 2 controversy in comments reported by The Mirror.

"In order to have respect, you need to build trust. And building trust comes with being honest. And putting me in a position to question my integrity is really disappointing. And I know who I am and what I stand for, and what I heard, and that's that." said Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty forward.

The WNBA semifinal matchup remained tense as Atlanta and New York continued their playoff series. No team had recovered from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five WNBA playoff series before this matchup, according to The Mirror.