Sky Hold Off Lynx’s Late-Game Surge to Secure

FINAL SCORE: CHI 82, MIN 78

MINNESOTA LYNX (0-4) vs. CHICAGO SKY (2-1)

TARGET CENTER | 2022 WNBA REGULAR SEASON | MAY 14, 2022

TONIGHT’S GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE

• Three-time All-Star Allie Quigley made her 2022 season debut for the Chicago Sky today after missing the first two games of the season with a knee injury

• This game featured the top two picks of the 2008 WNBA Draft, Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles, respectively

• Fowles was drafted by the Chicago Sky, donning a Sky jersey from 2008-2014

• This is the first time since 2019 where Chicago’s Emma Meesseman and Minnesota’s Aerial Powers have played against each other since winning the 2019 WNBA Championship together with the Washington Mystics

NEXT UP: The Sky will travel to Seattle to square off against the Storm, who dropped its third game in a row on Saturday, losing to the Phoenix Mercury, 69-64. Tipoff at Climate Pledge Arena is scheduled to be on Wednesday, May 18 at 9:00 p.m. CT and can be viewed on Facebook and Marquee Sports Network.

A COVID-depleted roster has prevented the Storm from playing at full strength this season. Storm star Breanna Stewart and guard Epiphanny Prince sat out for the second straight game in health and safety protocols. Center Mercedes Russell has also not played this season due to an undisclosed, non-basketball injury. The Storm most recently dropped their past two games against Phoenix with Storm guard Jewell Loyd leading the pack on Saturday’s game with 26 points and five rebounds. She was the only player who scored in double-digits for Seattle.

KEY RUNS

• An 8-0 run by the Sky early in the first quarter gave them an early 13-6 lead

• The Lynx responded and finished the quarter on a 12-5 run

• To open the second quarter, the Sky extended its biggest lead of the game so far, 29-19, spurred by a 10-2 Sky run

• The Lynx responded to the Sky’s 10-2 run in the second quarter, spurring an 8-0 run themselves

• The Sky took a 14-point lead, its biggest lead of the game thus far, 58-44, midway through the third quarter after an 11-2 run

• The Lynx cut the Sky lead to two, 64-62, through an 18-6 run from the 5:13 in the third quarter to 8:41 in the fourth

KEY STATS

• Emma Meesseman recorded her 500th career assist on a Ruthy Hebard layup with 2:15 left in the 3rd quarter

• Heading into Saturday’s game, Courtney Vandersloot remains the WNBA’s No. 1 assist leader with 7.0 assists per game, Aces’ Kelsey Plum sits in second with 6.8 assists per game

• The Sky crashed the boards early, earning eight second-chance points to start the game

• The Sky had 23 shot attempts in the first quarter to the Lynx’s 13 attempts

• The Lynx had a season-high in points (78),  three-pointers made (6) and assists (23), but finished just 14-for-23 (60.9%) from the charity stripe

• The Lynx were a +7 on the glass (45-38), but the Sky turned the ball over just 5 times as opposed to 15 by the Lynx

• The Sky were 18-for-20 from the free-throw line tonight and are now 41-for-48 (85.4%) on the season

CHICAGO NOTES

• Coming into Saturday’s game, the Sky sat at No. 1 in defensive rating at 89.2, ahead of the Atlanta Dream (92.7)

• Allie Quigley scored her first points of the season on a putback with 9:10 left in the first quarter

• Emma Meesseman made her first three-pointer of the season with 8:35 left in the first quarter

• Rebekah Gardner made her first career three-pointer with 9:13 left in the second quarter

• Rebakah Gardner and Azurá Stevens both led the Sky with 10 points apiece in the first half

• Courtney Vandersloot finished with 11 assists, her first double-digit assist game of the season and the 49th of her career

• Courtney Vandersloot finished with 16 points and 11 assists for her first double-double of the season

• Emma Meesseman recorded 7 steals, setting a new career-high

• Sharing the wealth: Five Sky players scored in double figures (C. Parker, A. Stevens, C. Vandersloot, R. Gardner, E. Meesseman)

• The Sky finished with 23 assists to 5 turnovers

• Courtney Vandersloot scored the Sky’s last 8 points of the game

MINNESOTA NOTES

• Moriah Jefferson scored her first points with the Lynx on a free throw with 3:58 left in the first quarter

• Forward Jessica Shepard currently sits No. 2 in rebounds per game, averaging 11.3 rebounds

• Evina Westbrook and Hannah Sjerven made their WNBA debuts

• Evina Westbrook scored her first basket in the WNBA on a lay-up at the 8:41 mark of the fourth quarter

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kelly Kane — Director of Public Relations | kkane@chicagosky.net | (312) 994-5984

Carly Ebisuya — PR Coordinator | cebisuya@chicagosky.net | (714) 305-6808

 

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QUESTIONS:

Chicago Sky Media Relations | media@chicagosky.net