GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE

● Skylar Diggins-Smith was the star of the night, going off for a near triple-double (20 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds) to help give the Mercury its seventh straight win of the season.

● Chicago once again had balanced scoring with four players scoring in double-figures (Kahleah Copper, Azurá Stevens, Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond DeShields). Copper led the way for Chicago, pouring in a team-high 18 points and being highly efficient from the floor.

● Despite the loss, Kahleah Copper and Azurá Stevens continued their strong play in Phoenix. Copper recorded her 13th straight game scoring in double figures and also added in five rebounds. Stevens was an extremely efficient 7-10 from the floor, scoring 15 points. She also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds (one rebound away from second double-double of the season)

● After tonight’s loss, Chicago will conclude its five game road trip as it heads to Las Vegas to face the defending champions.

 

NEXT UP: The Chicago Sky (14-13) head to Nevada to face off against the Las Vegas Aces (19-7) for another game as part of the team’s Western Conference road trip. Tip-off is set for 9:00 PM CT (7 PM CT) and Sky fans can cheer on the team by tuning into The U/ NBA TV (or WMYS).

 

KEY RUNS

● In the middle of the first quarter, Phoenix went on a 13-3 run spanning 3:20 to open up an early eleven point lead.

● In the later stages of the first half, Chicago knocked in five shots in a row to spark a 13-5 run and cut its deficit to only three.

● Early in the third quarter, Chicago went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit down to only one.

● After Chicago cut the Mercury lead to just one, Phoenix went on a 10-0 run of its own to extend the lead back to eleven.

● Late in the fourth quarter, Phoenix went on an 11-5 run to extend its lead up to 18 points.

 

KEY STATS

● Phoenix knocked down eight more shots than Chicago from deep going 14-27, meanwhile Chicago finished making 6-20.

● Despite having eight turnovers in the first half, Phoenix finished the game with only nine turnovers. Chicago also took care of the ball finishing the game with 11 turnovers.

● Phoenix beat Chicago to the boards on the offensive end in the third quarter snatching four offensive rebounds to Chicago’s zero. Phoenix translated those rebounds into nine second chance points.

● The Sky outscored its counterpart 29-21 in total bench points.

● Phoenix outrebounded Chicago 35-32.

● Phoenix shot a resounding 11-12 (92%) from the free throw line. Chicago also made the most of its trips to the charity stripe going 13-15 (87%).

 

CHICAGO NOTES

● Chicago forced five Mercury turnovers in the first quarter, it finished the game forcing nine turnovers.

● Chicago had a resurgent second quarter, scoring 30 points while going 13-21 from the floor.

● Azurá Stevens continued her strong play in the first-half, scoring eight points on 4-6 (75%) shooting from the field and reeling in six rebounds. Stevens finished the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds.

● Kahleah Copper finished the game scoring 18 points on 8-14 shooting from the floor. Copper also swatted away a game-high three blocks, a new career-high.

● The Sky added on to its league best team free throw percentage, going 13-15 (87%) from the line.