Did the Chicago Sky get their mojo back as they secured their first home victory of the season?
In defeating the Connecticut Sun 85-80, the Sky also ended a five-game losing streak and chalked up a Commissioner’s Cup victory.
A sluggish start left the Sun leading 25-11 after the first quarter, but the Sky then took it up a notch and regained control of the game. They outscored the Sun 32-20, thanks to a combination of sharp shooting,
attacking the rim and solid defense. Even as the Sun mounted runs to keep the game in contention, the Sky managed to hold onto the momentum. Their defense held the Sun to under 20 points for the remaining two quarters.
Ultimately, the game came down to a few particulars.
Skylar Diggins facilitated over the offense and came away with a game high of 24 points, four assists and three rebounds. She shot 6-for-16 from the field, 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and 10-for-11 from the foul line. Azurá Stevens started at the 4 spot and came away with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Natasha Cloud added 13 points of her own, including going 2-for-2 from the 3-point line, and had five assists.
After the game, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh spoke highly of Cloud’s ability to set the tone in so many facets of the game:
She’ll be relied upon for a multitude of areas. Obviously, her… what she is defensively, and how she’s able to set the table offensively in terms of finding open shooters and, initiating offense, and then when you’re getting 3-point shots from her, it’s an added bonus, and so she’s shooting it with confidence.
She played with great energy today, great joy today, and so that’s the kind of player, that’s the kind of person that she is, that’s the kind of leader that she’s been for, not just for us, but throughout her career. It’s who we had, who we knew we were getting, who we had hoped we were getting, and so, She’s been everything that we had… that we have needed.
Kamilla Cardoso had quite the task going up against 6-foot-9 Brittney Griner, but she held her own with 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Elizabeth Williams scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists. Williams hit two crucial shots down the stretch, one with 48.9 seconds left to put the Sky up 82-79. Then, she hit a hook shot with 14.5 seconds left to give the Sky an 84-79 lead.
Given that players such as Courtney Vandersloot and DiJonai Carrington are still recovering from injuries and Rickea Jackson is out for the season with an ACL tear, the Sky have limited numbers. Nevertheless, Diggins alluded to trying to remain intact, particularly in the context of a tight WNBA regular season schedule, with the Sky playing the Toronto Tempo on Sunday in Toronto.
Here’s how Diggins put it:
I mean the best ability is availability, and as we continue to try to get healthier, these games are going to continue to approach quickly. We still are in the Commissioner’s Cup, and so, we understand that. We got less than 48 hours, so I think we play at 3 o’clock on whatever day we play.
And so, it’s just another opportunity, and that’s the thing about, we talk about this league, when you win, you got a game coming in a few days, and when you lose, you got a game coming in a few days, and so there’s a lot of parity around the league.
