Recap: Sydney Taylor’s Buzzer-Beater Lifts Sky Over Aces, 84-83

Liliana King

For the second time in three days, the Chicago Sky earned a come-from-behind victory in Wintrust Arena, this time defeating the Las Vegas Aces 84-83. 

Sydney Taylor hit the go-ahead three-pointer with just 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation, allowing the Sky to pull out a victory, punctuating the Sky’s 13-point third-quarter comeback.

Taylor’s 13 points and three made three-point field goals in the fourth quarter fueled the Sky to outscore the Aces by 11 points in the period, effectively squashing the cushion Las Vegas built in the third.

Taylor’s 29 points marked the fifth time the undrafted rookie scored above 25 points in a game. In WNBA history, all other undrafted rookies have combined for a total of five games to achieve that feat. In her Rookie of the Year-worthy performance, Taylor became the first undrafted rookie to hit a go-ahead three-pointer in clutch time.

Alongside Taylor’s offensive prowess was Natasha Cloud’s efficient touch, posting 11 points and four assists on a 57.1% look from the field and a 66.7% clip from deep. Since re-entering the starting rotation, Cloud is averaging 11.2 points and 5.7 assists per game. DiJonai Carrington’s additional 10 points allowed the Sky’s offense to stay competitive throughout the intense matchup.

Controlling the paint was center Kamilla Cardoso who posted eight points and 12 rebounds. The former Gamecock is now eighth in the league for rebounds on the season (236) and reached No. 5 in franchise history in rebounds (831). In her second start of the season, Aicha Coulibaly notched eight points, three rebounds, a block and a steal on a 100% look from the charity stripe.

Veteran Elizabeth Williams secured her 1,000th career point with the Sky after posting seven points, three rebounds and a steal. Five-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot delivered an all-around effort with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.

For the Aces, four-time MVP A’ja Wilson put up a game-high 36-point, 13-rebound performance. Jackie Young also notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, marking her fifth of the season. Rounding out the stat sheet was NaLyssa Smith with 17 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block.

The Sky continue their five-game homestand with a matchup against the Mercury on Monday, Aug. 3. Chicago is looking to build on the momentum from the past two victories to tip the 1-1 season series against Phoenix in their favor when they tip off at 8 p.m. CT in Wintrust Arena.