Angel Reese’s performance on Thursday against a Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever was near perfect. The Bayou Barbie recorded one of her best scoring nights of the season, but her stay was severely plagued by fouls.

For context, Reese had accumulated four fouls by the end of the first half, including three alone in the second quarter. Yet, despite that, head coach Karl Smesko didn’t bench Reese in the second half, keeping her in the rotation, and playing her for a good 29 minutes. After the game, Smesko shared his strategy behind this decision.

“When she had three fouls in the first half, we were getting somebody up to the [scorer’s] table, but apparently they weren’t at the table soon enough,” Smesko said as per reporter Wilton C. Jackson. “Then, she picked up the fourth [foul], but we’re just going to play, we’re not going to worry about the foul trouble.”

Reese picked her first foul just under three minutes into the game. While she managed to keep her composure for the remainder of the quarter, the second frame of play was a dismal one for her. The Atlanta forward picked up three fouls in a quick session mid-quarter.

Notably, this isn’t the first time that Angel Reese has dealt with foul troubles in a game this season. The Atlanta forward is currently averaging 3.6 fouls per game, as per ESPN, which is a bit high. Thus, the pressure to emphasize cleaner, legitimate play has been persistent on Reese.

Head coach Karl Smesko wanted to double down on that pressure through his decision to play Reese, despite having received four fouls already in the first half.

“I think it’s a good thing throughout the course of the season for players to play under foul pressure,” Smesko had added in the presser. “Can you still play hard? Can you play smart and avoid fouls, and that’s something that you really need to be able to do in the playoffs.”

“So, when you get these opportunities, I think it really helps, and you notice that Angel [Reese] was really smart,” Smesko said. “She was vertical, she was able to play the whole second half without getting another foul.”

Smesko’s tactical decision worked perfectly in the game. Angel Reese didn’t just prevent herself from being fouled out in the game. She even scored 13 points in the second half to keep her team’s offense flowing. Reese finished the night with 21 points and 11 rebounds while scoring 8 of 14 from the field.

Notably, the game in itself was a high-fouling game. A total of 53 fouls were called between the two teams. Four Atlanta players, including Reese, finished the night with four fouls. Meanwhile, Naz Hillmon got six in the game.

Yet despite these shortcomings, the Atlanta Dream managed to hold off the Indiana Fever 108-101. And one of its main strengths lies in Angel Reese’s mentality on the court.

Angel Reese Opens Up About the Challenges of Playing With Foul Troubles

Playing with a chip on the shoulder is never easy. Especially on the hardwood, when a player has already heard four whistles, every move is under the scanner of the officials. But for Reese, it was just about controlling the tangibles on the court to avoid worsening the situation.

“Kind of just playing smart, being composed, and just controlling what I can control,” Reese said during the post-game presser. “I knew I had four, and it was going to be another 20 minutes where I knew I couldn’t get another one or I would have to sit for a pretty long time. They were laughing on me and saying they don’t wan’t me on the bench anymore.”

Nevertheless, Angel Reese will have to address this individual issue quickly. Her franchise, of course, wouldn’t want Reese to sit out for petty foul troubles. After all, the Atlanta forward is one of the vital players in her team’s frontcourt and accounts for the bulk of the production.

Given Reese’s recurring foul trouble, that dependency can backfire on the Atlanta Dream going forward. Nevertheless, with this win, the Atlanta Dream continue their season-long momentum. They are now 10-4 with their next game being a rematch of their game on Thursday against the Indiana Fever.