The Chicago Sky lost to the Connecticut Sun 87-81 in Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday, Aug. 25. The Sky are now 15-24 overall, 3-12 against the Eastern Conference, 5-14 on the road and 36-41 against the Sun all time. 

The Sky fought until the final buzzer, nearly mounting a 20-point comeback courtesy of late-game heroics from Kamilla Cardoso, Azurá Stevens and Courtney Vandersloot. Vandersloot, the franchise’s leader in both points and assists, made history in the fourth quarter against the Sun when she tallied her 3,000th career assist. The 37-year-old is the second player in WNBA history to distribute 3,000 assists and becomes both the youngest (37 years, 198 days) and quickest (458 games) to achieve the rare feat. 

Cardoso continued her impressive two-way stretch with a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double – her 15th the season. A game removed from nailing all seven of her free throws against Indiana, the former Gamecock drilled all 10 of her attempts from the line to tie her single-game career high in makes from the charity stripe. Since Aug. 1, Cardoso is averaging 16 points and 10.3 boards per appearance. 

Stevens, who dropped 18 points and collected five rebounds, did most of her damage during the game’s most pivotal stretch. The 2021 WNBA champion converted on all five of her field goal attempts, including a pair of three-pointers, to finish with 12 points in the fourth quarter. Stevens finished in double figures in three of her last four games, a period in which she’s averaging 12 points and over seven rebounds per contest.

The Sky also received quality contributions from several members of the second unit. Rookie guard Gabriela Jaquez accounted for six points and posted a team-leading plus-10 in 22 minutes off the bench while fellow first-year guard/forward Aicha Coulibaly pitched in with four points, six rebounds and a career-best two blocks. Veteran center Elizabeth Williams added six points and a pair of rebounds to round out the box score.

For the Sun, forward Aaliyah Edwards notched a career-high 26 points and season-high 10 rebounds while shooting 68.8% from the floor. Diamond Miller posted an additional 21 points, five rebounds and three assists to fuel Connecticut’s offensive drive. In her most efficient night this season, Kennedy Burke racked up season highs in points (19) and steals (5) while pulling down five rebounds.