The Chicago Sky (11-16) host the defending champion Los Angeles Sparks (19-7). The Sky are riding a three-game win streak and are currently in sole possession of the eighth and final playoff spot.
The Sky’s twin tornado backcourt showed up again in the August 10 94-74 win vs. the San Antonio Stars (6-22). The play of Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley was nothing short of spectacular in both shooting and dishing the ball. Vandersloot kept her points/assists double-double tour going with 21 points, 10 assists, and Quigley had 17 points, 9 assists. The guards combined to shoot a methodical 15-22 from the field, including a dangerous 6-9 from downtown. All-Star center Stefanie Dolson was torching from the field as well. She chipped in 15 points on 85.7% shooting.
The Stars two leading scorers were off the bench. Dearica Hamby got 17 points and fellow reserve Sequoia Holmes added 14 points.
The first quarter was a critical factor in the Sky’s twenty point victory as they got off to a hot start and outscored the Stars 29-18 and never let off from there.
The Sky outshot the Stars 56% to 46% and their defense also showed up to protect the rim with 7 blocked shots.
On August 18, The Sky will take on the Sparks for the third and final time of the regular season. The season series is all even at 1-1.
In the previous matchup July 20, the Sky escaped with a 82-80 victory. A nifty pass from Vandersloot to Dolson set up a three-point dagger in the closing seconds and sealed the deal. Dolson finished with a team-high 15 points, and Vandersloot sizzled with 14 points, 14 assists.
The Sparks All-Star front court of Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker had a solid box-score vs. the Sky. Ogwumike collected a double-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and Parker got 19 points, 6 rebound, 5 assists, 4 steals.
The Sky out rebounded (31-28) and out assisted (22-15) the Sparks in the back and forth battle. There were nine ties and nine lead changes in the contest, and the Sky outscored the Sparks 26-20 in the fourth quarter to lock up the win.
The Sparks are 1-1 on their current four-game road trip. Every opponent they’ll visit during this tough stretch (Lynx, Liberty, Mystics, Sky) are all presently in playoff contention.
Sparks vs. Sky tips off at 7:30 PM CDT Friday, August 18, at Allstate Arena in Rosemont. Tickets start as low as $18. Call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit CHICAGOSKY.NET to purchase tickets today. You can also watch the game on The U Too or WNBA League Pass. For live updates, download the Sky mobile app from the App Store or on Google Play.