Latest news with #RebeccaAllen
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Sky Make Rebecca Allen Announcement After Loss to Indiana Fever
Chicago Sky Make Rebecca Allen Announcement After Loss to Indiana Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Sky have officially fallen to 2-5 in the season, losing to the Indiana Fever 79-52. Advertisement Chicago started the season with an 0-4 record, tying their worst start in franchise history. They have struggled to start the Tyler Marsh era, having only defeated the Dallas Wings in a back-to-back matchup. Despite the loss to the Fever, Rebecca Allen showed out, attempting to help the Sky extend their win streak after the series against the Wings. Chicago announced Allen as the Player of the Game. Prior to facing the Indiana Fever, several other Sky stars have won Player of the Game this season, including Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins. Throughout the season, Rebecca Allen has posted 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. On the defensive end, Allen has averaged 0.2 blocks and 0.5 steals per game. Advertisement Allen is currently playing in her first season with the Chicago Sky. She's one of the most established guards in the league, currently playing in her 10th season in the WNBA. Before her time with the Chicago Sky, Rebecca Allen played with the Phoenix Mercury, Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty. While she had short stints with the Mercury and the Sun, Allen started her WNBA career playing seven years with the Liberty. Chicago Sky HC Tyler Lee-Imagn Images The Chicago Sky have a chance to bounce back from their second loss to the Indiana Fever when they face off with the New York Liberty at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. They will have ample time to rest before starting a three-game road trip. Advertisement Related: South Carolina Turns Heads After Team GPA Under Dawn Staley Surfaces Related: Chicago Sky React to Angel Reese Announcement Before Indiana Fever Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Sky Make Unfortunate History in Loss to Indiana Fever
Chicago Sky Make Unfortunate History in Loss to Indiana Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Chicago Sky dropped to 2-5 during the 2025 WNBA season after Saturday's loss to the Indiana Fever. This loss drops them to fifth place in the Eastern Conference and gives them an 0-1 record in the Commissioner's Cup. Advertisement Second-year center Kamilla Cardoso led the way for the Sky, pitching in eight points and four rebounds in the loss. Veteran guard Rebecca Allen also added eight points and two rebounds for Chicago. 2024 WNBA All-Star Angel Reese contributed just four points on 2-for-7 shooting. She grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out two assists but had a plus/minus of -20 during the loss. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5).Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images This was the first time all season that the Sky did not have a single player score in double digits. Prior to Saturday's contest, the Sky's season low in points, as a team, was 58, which came in the season opening loss against the Fever. Advertisement In the rematch, however, Chicago fared worse, as they were only able to muster 52 points, a new season low. This was not just a season low, however, but a bit of unfortunate history as well. "Sky's 52 points is the fewest they've scored in a game since 2011," the account wrote. Chicago made just 32.7% of their 55 attempts on Saturday, and they connected on only three of their 15 shots from beyond the three-point line. The Sky also turned the ball over 20 times compared to just 11 assists in the contest. The Sky are back in action on Tuesday, as they take on the 8-0 New York Liberty on the road at the Barclays Center. Chicago will be looking to avenge its 99 to 74 defeat that they suffered against the Liberty on May 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST. Advertisement Related: Chennedy Carter Is Trending Amid Chicago Sky's Blowout Loss to Indiana Fever Related: Dawn Staley Sends Clear Message on Indiana Fever, Chicago Sky Rivalry This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
New replay reveals Caitlin Clark's fury at Angel Reese moments before foul that ignited their angry rivalry
Caitlin Clark appeared frustrated that a foul on Angel Reese wasn't called just seconds before she sent her Chicago Sky rival tumbling to the ground on the WNBA 's explosive return over the weekend. The incident left Reese seething and trying to confront the Indiana Fever star in what was another angry chapter in the rivalry that has gripped the WNBA since they both entered the league last year. Clark's challenge on the Chicago Sky star was upgraded to a flagrant foul by referees, with Clark dismissing the punishment over what she said was 'a basketball challenge'. But seconds before, Reese as lucky not to be called up for a foul that would have prevented the incident from happening at all. As Reese's teammate Rebecca Allen took a shot for a three, Reese clearly pushes Fever's Natasha Howard out of her way before leaping up to collect the rebound. Clark appealed to the referees who appeared not to notice Reese's move, which prompted the Fever star to dive across and block Reese from making an easy two pointer. — No Context NBA (@NoContext_NBA_) May 18, 2025 But her grab turned into a push on Reese, who climbed back to her feet and tried to confront Clark as she walked away. Players from both sides intervened to keep the two rivals apart, with Clark's teammate Aliyah Boston pushing her away from Reese and getting a technical for her troubles. 'It's just a good take foul,' Clark said in an interview with ESPN about the controversial moment. 'You know, either Angel gets a wide open two points, or we send them to the free-throw line. Nothing malicious about it. It's just a good take foul. Every basketball player knows that.' She also doubled down on that claim in her postgame press conference, urging reporters to 'not make it anything it's not.' 'I wasn't trying to do anything malicious. That's not the type of player I am,' Clark insisted. 'I went for the ball, and that's clear as day in the replay. You watch it... it shouldn't have been upgraded [to a flagrant foul]. But that's up the ref's discretion.' Reese agreed with Clark's assessment in her own postgame press conference, while telling people to 'move on' from the incident in a blunt eight-word response. When asked for her thoughts on the foul, she simply said: 'Basketball play, refs got it right, move on.' Daily Mail exclusively reported over the weekend that Reese called Clark 'crazy as f***' in the aftermath as coaching staff stopped her from trying to confront her opponent. It later emerged that the WNBA has since launched an investigation into allegations of racial abuse from fans aimed at Reese during the game, which Sky lost 93-58. '"The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms - they have no place in our league or in society,' the league said. 'We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.' Indiana Fever return to action on Tuesday night at home to Atlanta Dream. The Chicago Sky, meanwhile, host champions New York Liberty on Thursday.
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Regional rocket launch delayed but experts say there are opportunities for Australia in the space race
Since the 1960s Australia has played a pivotal role in history's biggest space missions, not least in helping NASA bring live television images of the first moonwalk to the world. But our own space industry has never really achieved orbit. While Australia has a long history of supporting space exploration, we've struggled to establish our own industry due to a lack of sustained investment and clear national strategy, according to Swinburne University's Dr Rebecca Allen. "Back in the days of the space race, there was a political motivation to be the first ones on the moon and show that we could beat the Soviets," Dr Allen says. "Playing this kind of supporting role made sense because of where we are. Gilmour Space Technologies has that motivation — but suffered from a failure to launch this week. The company's Eris rocket launch was canned twice due to technical issues and a third attempt has been set for next month. Dr Allen says the launch of Eris — whether or not it makes it into orbit — shows Australia can stand on its own two feet when it comes to designing and building rockets. "We have real expertise in designing and manufacturing aerospace vehicles and I think it's a chance to demonstrate that Australia is not just a supporting player," she says. The Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) is the peak body for the sector and says the global space economy is projected to reach $US1.8 trillion by 2035. But chief executive Dan Lloyd says Australia remains a "customer" of global space technology, while its peers have developed clear and ambitious policies. "Our geography is an amazing natural advantage, and we need to make sure that we capture an opportunity that's bigger than just renting our dirt," he says. Mr Lloyd says Eris is a major milestone for Australia's space industry and an opportunity to develop an ambitious and future-focused space policy. "The industry is building to a critical mass," he said. Beyond economic opportunities, Mr Lloyd says the growing number and severity of natural disasters shows a real need to develop our own capabilities. "Other countries that have significant investments and presence in space can get live satellite feeds and predictive monitoring that help to anticipate and manage bushfires," he said. Australia mostly borrows and buys this service from overseas, which can create a real problem during times of natural disaster, according to Mr Lloyd. "There have been situations where Australia really needed live feeds of significant bushfires, but our international partners had challenges of their own and had to divert resources," he says. In an era of increasing global instability, Mr Lloyd says it's important that Australia works to "fill those gaps". Enrico Palermo, the head of the Australian Space Agency, said in a statement that the group was focused on "creating the right conditions" for the local space industry. "This includes streamlining regulation, as well as agreements that open international investment opportunities like the Technology Safeguards Agreement with the United States," Mr Palermo said. That agreement allows US space technology to be launched from Australia, a move aimed at making the region more attractive for launching rockets and satellites. There are around 10,000 active satellites in orbit but, less than a decade ago, there was only a fifth of that. Billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink network accounts for more than 7,000 of those satellites — forming a "constellation" with the aim of providing global mobile broadband. Companies like Amazon are planning their own satellite constellations, and China is aiming to send tens of thousands of satellites into orbit over the next decade. Mr Lloyd says the growing amount of "space junk" circling the planet is a huge challenge that no one has a good solution for. But that challenge also represents opportunity. "There are phenomenal Australian companies in research and development looking at harvesting space junk and potentially recycling it to use the conductive metals as new forms of propulsion in space," Mr Lloyd says. Mr Lloyd says Australia should focus on niche parts of the industry, like space junk harvesting, to differentiate itself from other countries.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Sky have green light to ‘let it fly' from 3-point range. Can they keep up with the competition?
The Chicago Sky refuse to take the fewest 3-pointers in the WNBA again. The Sky tried to get by without taking 3s last season, attempting a league-low 14.9 per game and averaging only 4.8 makes. It simply didn't work. Abandoning the arc allowed defenses to smother the paint, leaving then-rookies Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese burdened with double teams. Advertisement It's hard to fully contextualize just how dire the Sky's 3-point crisis became in 2024. The New York Liberty more than doubled their production with a league-high average of 10.1 made 3s in 29 attempts per game. Even the closest team to the Sky, the Connecticut Sun, averaged 18 attempts — more than three per game higher. 'We want (3-pointers) to be part of our game,' first-year Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. 'We're not sure how it will come — some of it will be in transition, some of it will be off how Angel's able to attack the paint and how we're able to utilize Kamilla in the post as well. That's part of how we emphasize our spacing. That's what we want to create.' Last year the Sky relied on one player, Marina Mabrey, for the bulk of their 3-point shooting. Mabrey accounted for 161 of their 347 attempts (46%) before the All-Star break, when she was traded to Connecticut. The lopsided structure weighed heavily on Mabrey, who sunk into a shooting slump as opponents blitzed her at the arc while leaving other Sky guards alone. This year the Sky are trying to own the arc by committee. They acquired Rebecca Allen and Ariel Atkins via trades and signed Kia Nurse in free agency, adding a trio of players that combined to make 4.7 3s per game last season. Advertisement 'There were a couple of times we looked around camp just like, 'There's so much shooting here,'' Nurse said. 'Our job as guards and perimeter players — especially on the wings — is to knock some of those down to give space to our bigs on the inside to have more one-on-one opportunities.' The payoff has been immediate for the Sky, who averaged 27.5 attempts from 3-point range in their first two preseason games against Brazil and the Minnesota Lynx. Exhibition games aren't always the most accurate predictor of what's to come, but the early showings reflected a transformed offensive approach for the Sky — and an eagerness to embrace the new style. 'It's just fun,' guard Rachel Banham said. 'It's fun for a shooter to know that you can shoot at any opportunity. We're all looking for each other, we all believe in each other. It's an emphasis at all times — if we ever have an open look, let it fly.' Advertisement That ethos — 'let it fly' — has been repeated since the first day of training camp. But the flippancy of the phrase belies the detailed precision with which the Sky plan to manufacture 3-point looks. Last season the previous coaching staff routinely insisted the team wasn't opposed to 3-pointers. If players were open, coaches repeated, they were encouraged to take the shot. But the staff also seemed uncertain of how to create opportunities for those shots to materialize in the flow of the offense. The lack of direction was painfully obvious to opponents, who felt the Sky became defined by aimlessness. 'There wasn't as much direction in the sense of how they played,' said Allen, who played for the Phoenix Mercury. 'It was a bit more ad hoc. I remember you had to be pretty alert as a defender against Chicago last season, just because you didn't know what was going to happen next — and I don't think that they did either.' Advertisement Marsh aims to be more purposeful in the construction of shot opportunities. While he doesn't have a 3-point quota for a given game, the staff hopes to regularly attempt close to 30 shots behind the arc. So where will those looks come from? Before anything else, the Sky will try to produce 3-pointers on the run. Taking a 3 while both the defense and offense are getting set can seem unnecessarily risky — a miss feels like a wasted opportunity to run a play or take a seemingly smarter shot. But transition 3s are actually among the highest-efficiency shots on the court for a guard. The defense is on its heels. Most players are coached to run down the center of the court to prevent rim running before spraying back out to the perimeter. That gives guards the opportunity to fly down the wings and corners for spot-up looks before a defender is able to contest. Advertisement The Sky hope to be transition specialists this season. As their primary rebounder, Reese has been tasked with initiating transition by immediately triggering passes or advancing the ball across the half-court line on her own. And point guard Courtney Vandersloot has been quick to advance the ball full court with a pass rather than taking the time to dribble, probing the defense for weaknesses in the opening seconds of possession. Once the Sky get into their half-court offense, the 3-point arc will remain a focus. Those looks will be driven by a variety of simple actions — stagger screens, handoffs, ball screens — that create opportunities for catch-and-shoot 3s. These play designs rely on the Sky's confidence in the passing ability of their three bigs: Cardoso, Reese and Elizabeth Williams. All three are mobile frontcourt options who can make reads on the perimeter, in the midrange and with their backs to the basket in the post. That allows the Sky to utilize their bigs to initiate actions at the perimeter, such as dribble handoffs that create options for guards to cut, shoot or set up a new screen. While ball screens often get the bulk of attention as a shot-creating mechanism, the Sky also have been using a high volume of handoffs to create quick windows. Related Articles Advertisement In these scenarios, defenders have to bounce back onto their heels, creating an inflated amount of space — and giving the guard an immediate advantage in the first step to cut into open space and catch a quick flip pass for a rapid-fire shot. For shooters such as Nurse, these actions are a building block for creating opportunities around the arc. 'The defense ultimately has to make a decision right away,' Nurse said. 'The moment the ball leaves my hands, I see what the defender is doing and I get to pick where everything goes next.' This might seem like a lot of emphasis on shooting for a team centered around two second-year bigs, but the Sky believe there's a symbiotic relationship. Marsh sees 3-point shooting as the key to opening the paint and rim for Cardoso, Reese and Williams. Threes pull defenders away from the basket. Once that spacing is created by establishing a shooting threat, guards can go to work setting up the bigs down low. This approach will disarm an opponent's ability to double-team and pack the paint while also providing the Sky more varied scoring options. Advertisement All of this is still theoretical. But in a week against the Indiana Fever — one of the league's best shooting teams — the Sky's new offense will get its first regular-season introduction to the WNBA. Can the Sky shoot their way to success? The answers will come on the court.
