Home Team: Chicago Sky
Away Team: New York Liberty
Location: Chicago, IL
When is Game Time? Sunday, July 1 at 5 p.m. CT
Where can I stream or watch on TV? Tickets, starting as low as $13, are still available by calling 866.SKY.WNBA or by visiting sky.wnba.com/tickets. Fans can also watch the game on League Pass, The U Too, and MSG+
For the first time this season, Chicago is on a three-game winning streak. In the last matchup against New York, the Sky won 103-99 in a close game. Sunday will complete the home-and-home series with the Liberty.
Chicago has scored 90-plus points in three straight games, and in each of those games the Sky had at least six players in double figures.
Sky general manager and head coach Amber Stocks said, “103-99 doesn’t feel like momentum. We have to go home, rest, recover, get our bodies right, regroup and tip it up again on Sunday with the score at 00-00.”
Facing the Liberty
In past seasons, the Sky and Liberty have traded wins back-and-forth, and in 2017, the Liberty took the series 2-1. This season, though, Chicago leads the series 2-0 coming into this game. These teams will only meet up one more time after Sunday, so this win is crucial to the series for both teams.
The Sky won the home-opener against the Liberty, and the second game of the series on Friday was just as competitive as the first. There were 11 lead changes with Chicago leading by as much as seven points and New York leading by as much as 11.The Liberty played a good game. Center Tina Charles had 24 points, guard Brittany Boyd had 10 points and six assists, and center Kiah Stokes had five rebounds. But, they couldn’t keep up with all the scoring from the Sky. All Chicago starters scored in double-digits.
Diamond DeShields led the team in scoring with 22 points. Guard Jamierra Faulkner, guard Allie Quigley, guard Courtney Vandersloot, center Stefanie Dolson, and forward Gabby Williams also scored in double digits. The team shot 56.5 percent and 52.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Chicago currently sits at 6-9, which ranks No. 9 in the WNBA, while New York has a record of 4-11 in 11th place. Both teams are looking to grasp a coveted playoff spot, so this series can be a turning point for the Liberty and the Sky.
Assists
Courtney Vandersloot
Vandersloot leads the WNBA in assists this season. Her veteran floor vision has led to over 10 assists in each of the Sky’s last three wins. In the last game against the Liberty, Vandersloot dished out 11 assists. Now she is No. 14 all-time with 1211 career assists, and she shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Scoring
Diamond DeShields
During the Sky’s three-game win streak Diamond DeShields has scored in double-digits every time giving her 9 games in double digits in her rookie season and 4 games with 20 or more points. Not only is DeShields producing on the offensive end, but she is also dominating on defense. The rookie held Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream to six points on June 27. McCoughtry is averaging 16.9 points per game this season. Against the Liberty on Friday, DeShields was once again the player of the game scoring 22 points.
Allie Quigley
The Veteran currently holds the No. 2 spot in WNBA for three-point percentage with 46.9 percent. Quigley leads Sky in scoring at 16.2 points per game. In Chicago’s win against the Liberty, Quigley put up 14 points while shooting 50 percent from downtown.
Depth of the Sky Bench
The Sky’s bench players can get out on the floor and play like starters. Off of the bench, forward Cheyenne Parker leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per game and she is No. 10 in the WNBA in rebounds this season. Guard Jamierra Faulkner averages 8.0 points per game and 3.7 assists per game off of the bench. She was the team’s second leading scorer in the last game with 15 points. The players off of the bench are intricate pieces to the puzzle that the Sky is putting together.