The WNBA returned on Thursday night after a more than two-week break for the FIBA World Cup in Berlin.
The Chicago Sky were back at home to face the playoff-clinched Washington Mystics. From the opening tip, it was clear that the Mystics were in control in every aspect of the game.
The combined effort of Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, Georgia Amoore and Michaela Onyenwere led a dominating performance of the tallest order. They generated runs, controlled the glass, shot from long range when needed, and the end
result spoke for itself: a 30-point trouncing 110-80.
The Sky on the whole couldn’t match the physicality of the Mystics and turned the ball over too many times.
In all, the Sky came away with 16 turnovers compared to the Mystics’ eight.
Courtney Vandersloot led Chicago with 14 points and five assists. Sydney Taylor finished with 12 points along with four assists. Kamilla Cardoso had 10 points and seven rebounds. Natasha Cloud left the game in the second half due to a knee injury after scoring two points.
Off the bench, Rachel Banham added 10 points of her own, as did Gabriela Jaquez. Aicha Coulibaly scored nine points and grabbed two boards. Although the Sky were outplayed off the bench, they got the most out of the likes of Jaquez, Coulibaly and Banham.
Jaquez spoke the bench’s attitude after the game, saying:
I think we always talk about we’re a deep team, and everyone stay ready and ready to play and do the role out there. I think we just need to be better as a team, especially taking care of the ball and making sure we’re getting stops on defense. Just icing it.”
As for fan favorite Sydney Taylor, who recently expressed her desire to have a long-term future in Chicago, she set the tone in the beginning by scoring the first points before adding two 3-pointers. But then she faltered in the second half.
Head coach Tyler Marsh still offered encouragement about Taylor’s playing, emphasizing the he wants her to focus on playing within the flow of the game and not be too hard on herself when things don’t go well. He said:
Sydney puts so much pressure on herself. She wants to be the one all the time, and you love that about her. At the same time, I think for her to continue to grow into who she is and going to continue to be for this team and in this league you gotta be able to look to the next play.
The Sky have three more games left in the season, starting on the road against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday. With another season bout to wrap up without a trip to the playoffs, Marsh has a simple goal for how to finish, explaining:
We gotta play with the same type of, passion and energy that we have been all year.
We haven’t been deterred by our record or any outside noise. You seen our compete factor all year and when you start things, you want to finish them, no matter what field you’re in, especially when you’re an athlete. I’ve commended our team all year on, how consistent their fight has been all year, and so that’s what I want to continue to see the rest of the way.
