Hartley Hair-Pull on Angel Reese Ignites Heated Exchange in Sky vs Sun Clash!
Sparks flew when Bria Hartley of the Connecticut Sun grabbed Chicago Sky star Angel Reese’s hair during a rebound attempt, igniting a tense altercation that drew technicals and nearly escalated into a full team confrontation.
Tempers flared in Connecticut when the Sun faced off against the Chicago Sky Sunday after a dust up ensued midway through the third quarter.
Connecticut guard Bria Hartley grabbed Sky star Angel Reese’s hair during an attempt at corralling a rebound. Reese obviously upset, immediately confronted Hartley, which caused Connecticut’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa to intervene. It’s not known what was said between Reese and Nelson-Ododa, but it drew a reaction from Reese where she physically pushed her opponent away.
Teammates from both sides quickly rallied around to diffuse the situation, but tensions continued to simmer. As players were being separated, Sun veteran center Tina Charles became particularly animated—shouting across the court and needing to be physically restrained by both referees and teammates.
Officials paused the game to review the incident. After a brief delay, technical fouls were issued to Reese and Nelson-Ododa for unsportsmanlike conduct. Hartley received a common foul, a decision that raised eyebrows from some fans and frustrated the Sky bench, as they felt the hair pull warranted a flagrant-1 given its unnecessary nature.
The altercation marked a boiling point in an already physical game that featured aggressive play in the paint and tight rebounding battles. Reese, who has made headlines for both her gritty play and vocal leadership, stayed in the game and appeared energized afterward—grabbing three boards and scoring twice in the next few possessions.
Though the situation didn’t escalate further, the tension remained palpable, hinting at a budding rivalry between the two squads as the season heats up. But in this instance, Reese and the Sky got the best of the matchup, with Chicago notching the win behind the first career triple-double from Angel.
