Angel Reese’s stat line once again showed why she has become one of the WNBA’s most dominant forwards. The Atlanta Dream star recorded yet another double-double on Saturday, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Golden State Valkyries.

But it wasn’t Reese’s production that had fans talking after the final buzzer. Instead, a controversial offensive foul late in the first half quickly became one of the most debated moments of the WNBA weekend after a slow-motion replay began making the rounds on social media. Once fans saw the play from a different angle, many reached the same conclusion.

Angel Reese’s offensive foul sparks immediate controversy

With 2:48 remaining in the second quarter, Reese backed down Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere in the post before spinning toward the basket. Officials immediately whistled Reese for an offensive foul, ruling that her elbow caught Amihere in the face as she made her move.

At full speed, the call appeared fairly routine. However, a slow-motion replay shared online quickly changed the conversation.

The replay appeared to show little, if any, significant contact between Reese and Amihere before the Valkyries forward’s head snapped backward, leading many viewers to question whether the contact had been exaggerated. The clip quickly spread across social media, where fans overwhelmingly voiced similar opinions.

Fans all seemed to notice the same thing

Many viewers believed the replay didn’t match the severity of the reaction that led to the whistle. Some questioned whether there was enough contact to warrant an offensive foul, while others argued Amihere sold the play in hopes of drawing the call.

Others defended the officials, noting that replay angles don’t always capture every point of contact and that offensive foul decisions often happen in real time without the benefit of slow motion. Regardless of where fans landed, the replay became one of the most-discussed clips from Saturday’s slate of WNBA games.

Dream fall despite another big game from Reese

The controversial whistle came during another productive outing for Reese, who continued her strong season with her latest double-double. Atlanta, however, couldn’t overcome a late push from Golden State, falling 88-83 for its fifth consecutive loss.

Reese’s night also ended early after she picked up her sixth foul with just seven seconds remaining in regulation. As for the disputed offensive foul, there has been no indication that the WNBA plans to review the sequence or issue any discipline related to the play.

Source:  https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/slow-motion-replay-angel-reeses-024007749.html