The Chicago Sky (1-4) look to break a two-game slide as the team hosts the Connecticut Sun (0-4) Sunday at Allstate Arena. This will be the first matchup between the two teams in the 2017 regular season.
The Sky hope to bounce back from two consecutive losses coming from the hands of the Washington Mystics. Former Sky forward and 2015 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne scored a game-high 20 points in the Mystics 88-79 win Friday night. The Sky were led by Allie Quigley in her second game back from professional play with a team-high 17 points. Tamera Young chipped in 16 points, while second-year Kahleah Copper contributed 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. The Mystics outscored the Sky 20-8 in the third quarter to pull the game away, despite a late Sky surge in the fourth.
The Sun have yet to win a game in the regular season, after winning all three of their preseason games. Lynetta Kizer led Connecticut with 12 points on Friday in the 82-68 loss against the Lynx. No Sun starter scored in double digits. Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles dominated with a 20 point, nine rebound performance. This was the back end of a home-and-home for the Sun with the Lynx. The Lynx outrebounded the Sun 43-27 in the win.
Sun center, Jonquel Jones, currently leads the WNBA with 12.7 rebounds per game. The second-year forward has been forced to step up after the early exit of injured Chiney Ogwumike. Ogwumike averaged 24.3 minutes per game and 12.6 points per game last season and evolved to be a leading energy for the Sun.
Chicago took the series 2-1 last year against Connecticut. After winning in the WNBA season opener, the Sky would then lose in a midseason matchup, and come back in September to take the series. The Sky loss to the Sun on July 22 (94-89) broke a streak of what would have been eight consecutive wins. The 96-86 victory on September 11 clinched the Sky’s playoff spot. Cappie Pondexter contributed 24 points, while Quigley added 18.
The Sun boast a sizable representation from the Big Ten. With Rachel Banham hailing from Minnesota, Alex Bentley from Penn State, Jordan Hooper from Nebraska, and Jones, Kizer, and Jasmine Thomas from Maryland, half of the roster claims Big Ten roots. Banham holds the distinction of being the Big Ten’s career leading scorer with 3,093 points. On the other hand, the Sky holds only two from the Big Ten, Copper and Pondexter, both coming from Rutgers.
The Sky-Sun matchup tips off at 5:00 CDT on Sunday, May 28 in Rosemont. The Sky will then host the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday, June 1, before traveling to take on the reigning WNBA Champions, the Los Angeles Sparks, on Tuesday, June 6.
Tickets start as low as $18. Call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit CHICAGOSKY.NET to purchase tickets today. You can also watch the Sky on The U Too or WNBA League Pass. For live updates, download the Sky mobile app from the App Store or on Google Play.