NEW YORK — The roar was audible — and quite atypical.

As the public address announcer introduced the starters for the visiting Chicago Sky, many within the Barclays Center crowd showered Angel Reese with the kinds of cheers normally reserved for the home team.

The warm welcome served as a testament to the immense starpower of Reese, one of the WNBA’s youngest faces.

“I love New York,” Reese, 23, said Tuesday, about an hour and a half before tip-off. “It’s probably my favorite city to play in. It’s close to home, so a lot of my family can come. This arena is legendary. Everybody wants to play here. It feels like bright lights.”

And although the Liberty smoked the Sky, 85-66, Reese largely met the moment.

Reese scored a season-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting with 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. Her 61.5% field-goal percentage marked a season best.

Taking advantage of a Liberty lineup without 6-6 center Jonquel Jones, who sat Tuesday with an ankle injury, Reese scored seven points and corralled six rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Reese delivered a pair of first-half lay-ups off of offensive rebounds, but she demonstrated an ability to score in a variety of other ways, too.

She drained a first-quarter jumper over Kennedy Burke. Later in the quarter, Reese drilled a 3-pointer — her second of the season.

In the second quarter, Reese finished a driving lay-up through contact from Leonie Fiebich. And in the fourth, Reese went right at Breanna Stewart for another layup.

The night wasn’t entirely smooth for Reese, who committed five turnovers and was charged with a third-quarter flagrant foul after she knocked Fiebich to the ground as they ran up the court.

Reese remained visibly frustrated in that third quarter after contact twice went uncalled, resulting in blocks by Natasha Cloud and Stewart.

But overall, Tuesday’s performance served as a highlight in what’s been an uneven start to Reese’s sophomore season.

The 6-3 forward entered the game averaging a WNBA-best 12.3 rebounds per game, but her 9.1 points on 30.9% shooting were down considerably from her rookie statline.

Reese’s worst game came in the Sky’s previous meeting with the Liberty, when she scored a season-low two points on 0-of-8 shooting in a 99-74 loss in Chicago. Jones blocked two of Reese’s shots in that May 22 game, while Stewart and Nyara Sabally blocked her once apiece.

“I’m going to continue to say I trust my own work,” Reese said Tuesday. “I put my head down and work every single day. I don’t give up on anything. I watch film. I critique myself the most. I know it’s gonna translate.”

The Baltimore-born Reese began her college career at Maryland, then earned a tremendous following after transferring to LSU, where she became known as the “Bayou Barbie” in a nod to her confident persona and style.

As a junior, Reese was the focal point of the Tigers team that beat Caitlin Clark-led Iowa in the 2023 national championship game.

Reese and Clark have been linked ever since.

The Indiana Fever took the sharp-shooting Clark with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, and the Sky selected Reese at No. 7.

Their back-and-forth battles have continued at the professional level, with their much-discussed — and sometimes chippy — rivalry giving a boost to the WNBA.

“I think it’s been great for us with Angel,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said. “She competes so hard on the court. She’s one of the greatest rebounders I’ve seen. … She’s still a young player developing in our league, too. But the amount of fans that she’s brought from college, like Caitlin has, I think that’s great for our league.”

Reese set a WNBA record last season with 15 consecutive double-doubles, the last of which came at Barclays Center against the Liberty.

She averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game in 2024-25, during which she was named an All-Star; was the runner-up to Clark for Rookie of the Year; and finished 12th in MVP voting.

But this season has come with adversity.

The Sky have a first-year head coach in Tyler Marsh.

Spacing remains a concern between Reese and 6-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, whose skill sets are largely the same.

And veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who rejoined the Sky in the offseason after two seasons with the Liberty, tore her ACL on Saturday, delivering a blow to the development of Chicago’s young players.

“Some of it’s just missed shots, and then some of it is our ability to put her in position to be more effective,” Marsh said of Reese’s early-season struggles. “I think it’s a two-way street from that standpoint.”

The WNBA set viewership and attendance records last season, with the infusion of young talent deserving much of the credit for the rapid boom.

Referring to Clark, Reese said last June that the WNBA’s growth was “not just because of one person” but “because of me too.”

Tuesday’s cheers at Barclays Center seemed to back that up.

“I just love being here,” Reese said before the game. “This environment is great. The fans, sometimes I feel like they’re here for Chicago more than New York, because they support us so much here on the road.”

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