Coming off a west coast road trip, the Chicago Sky picked up a crucial 95-90 win against the Seattle Storm at Wintrust Arena Wednesday, July 15 for the annual camp game. After a close 96-91 loss against the Wings July 12, the Sky were able to finish out what proved to be a tight game against the Storm down the stretch.
The Sky saw dominating performances from their frontcourt, even without Kamilla Cardoso, who was sidelined with a knee injury. Azurá Stevens led the way with a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while fellow veteran and big Elizabeth Williams made WNBA history by surpassing Ruth Riley for No. 10 on the all-time blocks list.
But the real interior spark came from newly signed developmental player Chloe Bibby, who made an immediate impact in her Sky debut. With former developmental player Aicha Coulibaly signed to a standard contract, Bibby joined the team on June 30. In just 19 minutes of action, Bibby dropped 14 points and four assists while shooting 45% from the field.
Chicago's team style of play was on full display as the team racked up 27 total assists, guided by six-assist performances from both Courtney Vandersloot and Natasha Cloud. Cloud made her presence felt in her fourth straight start, adding 13 points on 60% shooting to her playmaking stat line. To seal the game, Vandersloot delivered two crucial assists in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, despite still playing on a minutes restriction.
The elite ball movement set up rookie Sydney Taylor, who extended her All-Rookie-caliber year with 17 points and five boards in 24 minutes. Scoring 12 points in the second quarter alone, Taylor became one of only four rookies in the WNBA to tally at least 100 made field goals this season, marking her 14th double-digit scoring performance of the year.
The Storm also saw five players finish in double digits despite the loss. Flau'jae Johnson’s game-high 25 points fueled Seattle’s push to get within two points late in the fourth quarter. The Storm also found plenty of production in the paint from Dominique Malonga, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Awa Fam, who added 14 points. However, Seattle struggled at the free-throw line, shooting just 61% to the Sky’s 74%.
The Sky now have a chance to build on this win, playing the Los Angeles Sparks Friday, July 17, before heading into the All-Star break. The game takes place at 6:30 p.m. CT inside Wintrust Arena.
,xPosition=.5,yPosition=.5)
,xPosition=.5,yPosition=.5)
,xPosition=.5,yPosition=.5)
,xPosition=.5,yPosition=.5)