On Thursday, September 3 the Chicago Sky will travel to New York to take on the Liberty for the fourth time. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm CT at Madison Square Garden. The Sky is anxious to top New York for the first time this season.

The Sky and Liberty first met at Allstate Arena on June 30. New York won a close battle with an 89-81 victory. Tina Charles and Elena Delle Donne led their respective teams with 26 points each. Cappie Pondexter also added 19 points for Chicago.

The Liberty returned to Rosemont on August 7 capturing its second victory with a score of 77-63. This contest was the first time that New York’s Epiphanny Prince faced her former team. Prince scored 30 points and dished out five assists against Chicago. Delle Donne and Courtney Vandersloot led the Sky with 17 and 13 points, respectively.

The most recent meeting between these teams was on August 11 in New York. Despite 23 points from Pondexter, the Liberty still topped the Sky 84-63. New York was driven by 22 points from Prince and 13 points from Kiah Stokes off the bench.

Thursday’s contest will likely include numerous rebounds from both teams. New York and Chicago currently rank first and second, respectively in rebounding. This is likely due to the fact that the individuals ranked second and fourth in rebounding belong to these teams. The Sky average 44.3 rebounds per game behind Delle Donne’s average of 8.8. The Liberty average 44.5 rebounds per game behind Charles’ 8.6 boards per game.

In addition to rebounding, another key to Chicago securing a victory on Thursday will be strong performances from the bench. In the August 11 contest between these teams, New York’s bench outscored Chicago’s bench 38-13. The Sky will look to reigning Sixth Woman of the Year, Allie Quigley, to provide a spark for the team off the bench.

Tune into NBATV or The U Too to catch the Sky in action at Madison Square Garden. Then, join the team at Allstate Arena on September 6 as they host the Seattle Storm. Call 866.SKY.WNBA.