The Chicago Sky look to channel their energy into a road victory on Friday after falling 95-75 to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night.
The Sky had four players in double figures Wednesday led by Jamierra Faulkner with 13 points. Cappie Pondexter finished the night with 12 points, Tamera Young recorded 11 points and a playoff career-high three steals and Courtney Vandersloot added 10. Faulkner also set four new playoff career highs in minutes played (18), points (13), and field goals made (6) and attempted (11).
Chicago put up a good fight in the third quarter by outscoring Los Angeles 26-23, bringing the deficit to as low as 12 points. The Sky’s bench capitalized on their minutes by outscoring the Sparks’ bench 32-24.
For Los Angeles, Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker put up a combined 57-point effort to help propel the Sparks to victory. Ogwumike, the 2016 WNBA Most Valuable Player also completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. Parker finished with nine rebounds on the night. The Sparks outscored the Sky in the paint with a 50-to-40 advantage. The Sparks ran away with the lead in the fourth quarter to a margin as large as 23 points.
Game 2 of the semifinals will tipoff at 9 p.m. CT at the Staples Center. Fans can watch the game on ESPNews. The Sky will return to Allstate Arena on Sunday, October 2 for Game 3 at 2 p.m. CT. Call 866.SKY.WNBA or visit CHICAGOSKY.NET to lock in your seats for the WNBA Semifinals at Allstate Arena.