The Chicago Sky is looking to bounce back from a loss to the league-leading Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday when the Dallas Wings comes to town on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CDT.
This game will feature a matchup between the second and third overall picks of the 2013 WNBA draft when Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins square off. Delle Donne is averaging 20.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from long range. Diggins has played only 14 games this year, as she has struggled with injury. She is averaging 12.1 points and 3.3 assists per game.
Efficient shooting by the Sky helped the team to a win in the first matchup against the Wings on May 29. Six Sky players had double figure points in the 92-87 win. Cappie Pondexter led the Sky with 18 points and five assists, while Elena Delle Donne chipped in 14 points and Jamierra Faulkner shot an efficient 6-of-9 from the field, good for 13 points. The Sky shot a season-high 58.6 percent, compared to the 34.7 percent by the Wings. Imani Boyette added 10 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 while also contributing eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Odyssey Sims led the Wings with 23 points. Karima Christmas chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. This is the second of three matchups between these two teams. They will next meet on August 28, after the Olympic break.
The Wings are currently on a two-game losing streak with its most recent loss coming against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday at the Target Center. No Wings player scored more than ten points, with the highest point total being nine from both Aerial Powers and Erin Phillips. The Wings shot 24.6 percent from the field, while the Lynx shot 52.6 percent. In addition, the Wings were outrebounded, 25-51. Lindsay Whalen led the Lynx with 22 points and Sylvia Fowles added 14.
The Sky enters the contest having lost five of its last seven games. On Wednesday, an efficient Sparks offense led the team to a 77-67 win and 19-1 record for the season. The Sky shot 39.2 percent from the field, while the Sparks nailed a cool 55.0 percent. Elena Delle Donne led the Sky with 15 points and six rebounds, while Allie Quigley continued the hottest stretch of her career off the bench with 13 points and shooting 3-6 from beyond the arc. In her second consecutive start, Cheyenne Parker recorded a career-high ten points, on a career-high five made shots in a season-high 22 minutes. The Sky set a new single game attendance record with 16,444 in attendance on Camp Day.
Tip-off between the Sky and Wings is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, July 15 in Rosemont. The Sky will then travel to Seattle to take on the Storm on Sunday, July 17 at 6:00 p.m. CDT. The final home game for the Sky before the Olympic break will take place on Friday, July 22 against the Connecticut Sun at 7:30 p.m. CDT. Friday’s game will be broadcast on The UToo Sports and on WNBA League Pass.