After a five-game road trip ending in a record of 3-3, the Chicago Sky returns home to host the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, June 24. This will be the first of two “Camp Day” games with tipoff set for 11:30 a.m. CT at Allstate Arena. Chicago will look to avenge last week’s buzzer beater by Angel McCoughtry using momentum from Saturday’s win against the San Antonio Stars.
Following Saturday’s game in San Antonio, Delle Donne said, “We have so many people who can attack and score. It’s always great to have a multi-faceted group of players where anyone can go off any night. Offense has never been the focus it’s our defense that needs to pick it up.”
After a slow start against the on June 19th, the Sky erased a ten-point deficit with five minutes remaining in the game to regain the lead 1ith 1:23 remaining. However that was not enough to steal a win in Atlanta. Following two missed free throws by Clarissa Dos Santos with 1.3 seconds on the clock, the Dream secured the rebound and used a 20-second timeout to advance the ball and draw up an inbounds play for McCoughtry who hit the game winning jumper.
It is crucial this week for the team to begin with a defensive mindset right from the tip. Chicago will turn to two-time Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Elena Delle Donne to set the tone early. Delle Donne currently averages 29.3 points per game. Last week, against the Dream, she recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds. Entering Wednesday afternoon’s game, Delle Donne has now logged two consecutive double-doubles in points and rebounds.
Chicago also saw a great performance from Courtney Vandersloot, who continues to score double digits each game thus far, tallying 18 points against Atlanta. The Dream were led by Angel McCoughtry who recorded 18 points including the 16-foot jumper at the buzzer to give Atlanta a 74-73 victory.
Something to look out for in Wednesday’s match will be the compilation of the Sky’s starting lineup. On Saturday in San Antonio, guard Allie Quigley made her first start of the season (second of her career). Leading into the game against the Stars, Quigley had only scored eight total points. She blew that number away recording a season-high 19 points against the Stars. This notable performance could result in more starts for Quigley.
In order for the Sky to pull out a victory on Wednesday, the team needs to take the court with energy. Key areas that will assist Chicago in defeating Atlanta are rebounding and second chance points. The combination of drive and strength in the paint will hopefully give the Sky its second home win. Catch all the action of the Sky vs. the Dream on WNBA Live Access with