TONIGHT’S GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE

● Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot played in her 300th career WNBA game. She is already the team’s leader in most games played and total seasons with the franchise. She also scored a career-high 28 points, which was also the first time the veteran guard crossed the 20-point threshold this season.

● Sky forward Azurá Stevens grabbed eight rebounds against the Sparks, good for a new season high.

● Sky center Astou Ndour-Fall recorded a new career high in rebounds (12).

● At its peak during overtime, Sunday’s Sky versus Sparks matchup – streamed live on Facebook- garnered approximately 3,600 live viewers.

● Four Sky players (Kahleah Copper, Astou Ndour-Fall, Diamond DeShields and Courtney Vandersloot) each played at least 30 minutes against the Sparks. DeShields led all Sky players in minutes played (43:46).

● This was Chicago’s first overtime game since Sept. 6, 2019, when the Sky fell to the Connecticut Sun 109-104. Across the league, it marked the fourth overtime game through 36 games. Every other season has had three or less overtime games at this point in the season. In 2020, only four games went into OT.

 

NEXT UP: The Sky (2-4) finishes its homestand on Tuesday, June 1 with a matchup against the Phoenix Mercury (3-3) at 7:30p CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and TSN3. Phoenix is coming off an 89-85 victory over the Dallas Wings on Saturday, May 29.

 

KEY RUNS

● To open the first quarter, the Sky went on a 12-3 run that spanned 3:33 minutes of play.

● To start the second quarter, the Sparks went on a 10-3 run over a four-minute period to cut the Sky’s first half lead back to single digits.

● The Sky outscored the Sparks 9-4 over 2:50 of action to take a 50-45 lead with just under four minutes to play in the third quarter.

● In overtime, the Sparks posted a 5-0 run in 1:09 minutes to take an 80-75 lead with 2:03 left in the game.

 

KEY STATS

● In the first quarter, 20 of Sky’s 27 points were scored in the paint. Against the Sparks on Friday, the Sky scored a total of 28 points in the paint.

● Chicago scored eight fast break points in the first quarter alone. In comparison to its last game, the Sky finished with just two fast break points over four quarters.

● After a rocky second quarter, the Sky posted an impressive third quarter of play and outscored the Sparks 20-14. In addition, the Sky turned the ball over just three times compared to the Sparks’ six turnovers in the third quarter.

● Playing with a depleted bench, Sky forward Kahleah Copper (42:54 minutes) and guard Diamond DeShields (43:46 minutes) combined for 86 minutes of action against the Sparks.

● At the charity stripe on Sunday, the Sky shot 12-12. Over the team’s last three games, the Sky is a combined 52-54 from the free-throw line.

● Los Angeles’ bench outscored the Sky’s 38-11.

 

Post Game Press Conference Powered by Magellan Corporation: Sky vs. Sparks – May 30, 2020

 

CHICAGO NOTES

● With the loss, the Sky drops to 2-4 on the season. In 2020, the Sky was 4-2 after six games.

● Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot scored six of the team’s first 10 points, and assisted on the other two field goals in which she did not score.

● The Sky led 27-13 after the first quarter, which was the largest lead for Sky after the first quarter this season. Previously, the team’s largest lead was 11 points against Atlanta on May 19.

● While playing in her 100th career WNBA game, Astou Ndour-Fall produced nine points and 12 rebounds. This marks a career-high in rebounds for Ndour-Fall, with her previous high (11) having occurred earlier this season against Atlanta on May 19.

● Ruthy Hebard and Courtney Vandersloot shot a collective 16-25 from the floor and finished with 12 points and 28 points, respectively.

LOS ANGELES NOTES

● Los Angeles produced nine of its first 16 points from beyond the three point line, with triples coming from Arella Guirantes, Amanda Zahui B and Brittney Sykes.

● The Sparks completed a comeback in the second quarter to take a one-point lead after being down by as many as 17 points during the first quarter. During the first quarter alone, the team shot 40.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 80% from the charity stripe.

● Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike led LA with 21 points and has reached double-figures in all four Sparks games.

● The Sparks forced 23 Sky turnovers on Sunday. This season, opponents are averaging 23.8 turnovers per game against Los Angeles.

● LA has won two straight games, while Chicago has dropped four in a row.