The Chicago Sky will head home to Wintrust Arena on Friday, June 1 to take on the 3-0 Connecticut Sun, who currently rank No. 2 in the WNBA standings. Chicago (2-2) dropped the last two games after opening the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2013.
The team is looking to bounce back from a tough loss on Friday to the Seattle Storm, who came back from an 14-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Sky in overtime.
Guard Allie Quigley finished with a team-high 23 points in the contest, but left the game at the end of the fourth quarter and missed overtime due to an injury. Quigley will be in the lineup for Friday’s game.
Guard Diamond DeShields looks to continue her impressive rookie season as she is averaging 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest.
“It’s the beginning of a new season with a new team and we have a lot of work to do,” DeShields said. “Coming from overseas, it was a long season, but physically, I feel great. I’m excited to be here and to be in this league.”
The Sky will welcome back guard Courtney Vandersloot and center Astou Ndour, who recently finished their overseas obligations and are the final additions to the 12-man roster. Vandersloot said she is excited to get back with the team.
“I am really anxious to get back to Chicago and to get back to work,” Vandersloot said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about the atmosphere and chemistry of the team. I am excited to be a part of that and to see it transpire on the court.”
The Sun have opened the season 3-0 in large part to the play of all-star forward Alyssa Thomas, who is averaging team highs of 16.3 points and 10 rebounds while also dishing out 4.3 assists through three games. Thomas was named Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference after averaging 18.5 points and 7.3 assists per game this past week.
Connecticut is outscoring its opponents by nearly 18 points per contest and are averaging 96.3 points per game, which leads the WNBA. This will be the first road game this season for Connecticut.
Tip off is set for 8:00 p.m. CST on Friday at Wintrust Arena. For the fifth consecutive year, the WNBA is celebrating inclusion and equality during LGBTQ Pride Month as the Sky will host ‘Pride Night’ on Friday. The pride-themed matchup will feature special prizes, giveaways, local LGBTQ musicians and artists, and more. Tickets are still available and start as low as $13. To reserve your seat, visit sky.wnba.com/tickets or by calling (866) SKY-WNBA.