By Caroline Lau

The Chicago Sky fell to the Seattle Storm 57-95 at Wintrust Arena in their first matchup of the season.

The Storm came out hot from three-point range with two triples from Erica Wheeler and Skylar Diggins. They began the game on a 15–6 run, prompting a Chicago Timeout.

Ariel Atkins missed her fourth consecutive game with a lower leg injury. Angel Reese also did not play with a back injury.

The Sky kept the game competitive with strong first-quarter contributions from Kamilla Cardoso and Rachel Banham. Rookie Dominique Malonga provided a spark for the Storm off the bench with six points in her first six minutes.

Despite Kamilla Cardoso’s double-double in the first half (nine points and 10 rebounds), the Sky trailed 26-39 going into halftime. Chicago’s eleven turnovers plagued their offense in the first half.

Three straight turnovers to open the second half led to six transition points for Seattle, prompting a quick Chicago timeout. Rachel Banham stopped a 13-1 run with a three-pointer, but Diggins answered right back with one of her own.

The Sky found some rhythm offensively in the third quarter, scoring 17 points, but couldn’t contain Seattle, giving up 31. By the end of the period, Chicago trailed 43–70 as four of the Storm’s five starters had reached double figures.

Marquesha Davis saw her first action early in the second quarter. She played 13 minutes and scored two points.

Without their two leading scorers, Reese and Atkins, Chicago was unable to gain momentum throughout the game. They had just 14 assists compared to Seattle’s 25. Rachel Banham and Kamilla Cardoso lead Chicago, scoring 13 points apiece.

Skylar Diggins had 21 points on 50.0% shooting, while Dominique Malonga earned a career high with 14 points, powering the Storm to a 38-point win.

Notable quotes:

Head coach Tyler Marsh: “It’s not a talent thing right now… we’re looking for a fight, we’re looking for competitors, and we have that in the lock room.”

Guard Rachel Banham: “At the end of the day, we’ve still got a lot of games left, and we’re not going to give up. We just need to bounce back and keep getting better.”