GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
● With the win, the Chicago Sky advanced to the WNBA Finals for just the second time in franchise history. During the 2021 regular season, the Sky finished with a .500 record (16-16) and became just the third team in league history to make the WNBA Finals after having a .500-or-worse record in the regular season.
● Tonight, Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot tied Ticha Penicheiro for sixth all-time in assists in WNBA Playoffs history (204).
● Sky forward Candace Parker logged 17 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks against the Sun in the Sky’s Game #4 victory. It’s just the fifth time that a WNBA player has scored (at least) 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the WNBA Playoffs. This is Parker’s second game with such a finish and she’s the only player in league history with more than one statline as such.
● Four of the five starters for the Sky scored double figures against Connecticut on Wednesday. The only Chicago non-starter to score less than 10 points was Sky guard Allie Quigley, who still finished with a plus-minus mark of +5 across 27 minutes of action.
● Chicago led from the 9:41 mark of tonight’s game and did not falter its lead for the rest of the night.
NEXT UP: The Chicago Sky will play the winner of the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces in the 2021 WNBA Finals. Currently, the Aces and Mercury are tied 2-2 in their respective series, with Game #5 of their semifinals matchup scheduled for Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. Regardless of opponent, Game #1 of the 2021 WNBA Finals is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET) at either Las Vegas or Phoenix. Sky fans can catch all the action on ABC and keep an eye out for information regarding tickets from both teams and the league.
KEY RUNS
● The Chicago Sky had a 13-2 start against the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter of Game #4 of the 2021 WNBA Playoff Semifinals.
● After falling behind by 10 points midway through the first, the Sun went on an 8-0 run over a 1:07-minute span to cut their deficit to just three points (17-20) with 2:59 left in the opening quarter.
● During the second quarter, the Sky went on an 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead with 4:26 to play. Later in the quarter, the Sky went on a 5-0 run to close the first half and took its largest lead of the first half (13 points).
● Midway through the third quarter, Chicago went on an 11-0 run to extend its double-digit lead. Then, the Connecticut Sun closed the third quarter with an 11-0 run to cut into the Sky’s lead.
KEY STATS
● The Sky converted 44.4% of its shots from the field and 48.0% of its shots from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Sun shot 38.1% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range.
● Connecticut featured three players that scored at least 10 points while the Sky featured four players that scored double figures. Sun forward Jonquel Jones led all scorers with 25 points.
● Chicago outscored Connecticut in fastbreak points with a mark of 15-7.
● The Sky’s largest lead against the Sun in Game #4 was 18 points, which also marks the Sky’s largest lead against the Sun during any point of the 2021 WNBA Semifinals.
CHICAGO NOTES
● In the first quarter, Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot finished with 13 points as part of the team’s 32-first quarter point offensive attack. In addition, the Sky shot 68.8% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc.
● According to Google Trends, the phrases “How many rings does Candace Parker have” and “Azurá Stevens” were breakout search topics online during the first half.
● The Chicago Sky are just the second team in WNBA history to lose at least seven games in a row and later win at least seven games in a row in the same season. In 2001, the Charlotte Sting also dropped seven consecutive games and won seven games in a row to end their regular season. The Sting also advanced to the finals that season.
● In attendance at Wintrust Arena to watch the Sky host the Sun included rapper/producer Chance the Rapper, six-time NBA Champion/former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen, current Chicago Bulls guard Coby White as well as multiple members of the 2021-22 Chicago Bulls, former WNBA player Tamera Young and players on the 2021 Chicago Red Stars.
CONNECTICUT NOTES
● Entering the 2021 WNBA Playoff Semifinals against Chicago, Connecitcut boasted a 14-game winning streak into the series and had outscored its opponents by an average of 15.5 points per game.
● The Sun finished with 16 turnovers on Wednesday night. Before tonight, the team was 18-5 when they turned the ball over at least 13 times and 9-3 when they recorded less than 13 turnovers.
● The last #1 seed to not make the WNBA Finals was also the Connecticut Sun in 2006, when the Sun lost to #2-seeded Detroit.