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The Chicago Sky played some of their best basketball of the season on Saturday afternoon against the WNBA’s #1 team as they upset the Minnesota Lynx 87-81 at Wintrust Arena.
The win was Chicago’s first against a team over .500 this season. They improved to 7-13 on the year while Minnesota dropped to 18-4.
The Sky led from start to finish to take down the Lynx 🔥
It’s their 1st win this season against a team over .500 📈 pic.twitter.com/JWYCfJpbYi
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 12, 2025
While Ariel Atkins shot the lights out with 27 points on 12/21 from the field, it was the young frontcourt duo of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso who wreaked havoc down low with a pair of double-doubles.
Reese posted 19 points and 11 boards while Cardoso delivered 17 points and 15 rebounds in her first start since returning from FIBA AmeriCup duty with Brazil. Cardoso also had a massive block on Courtney Williams in the final minute to seal the win. The Sky dominated the glass all game long, outrebounding the Lynx 45-28.
Kamilla Cardoso’s clutch block sealed the deal 🤝
The Sky finished strong, 87-81! https://t.co/3Q2aer2LSl pic.twitter.com/0YPhPmnNpv
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 12, 2025
Immediately following the huge win, Reese was asked about the tandem of her and Cardoso by ESPN’s Angel Gray.
“Somebody said we wasn’t the best young core in the league,” Reese said. “I think we’re the best young core in the league for sure, hands down. The Skyscrapers, we do it every single night.”
Angel Reese postgame interview pic.twitter.com/JNQoBvNOtC
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) July 12, 2025
Reese echoed a similar sentiment in the post-game press conference, hyping up Cardoso and their impact as a duo.
“Big Mill [Cardoso], not the little one. Big 6’7″, you can’t teach that. We took it personal earlier on in the season where people didn’t think we were the best young core in the league,” Reese said. “We stood on that, and we’re standing on that. It speaks for itself. We’re young… We’re raw right now but I’m really happy to see where we are.”
Both Reese and Cardoso were selected in the first round of last year’s draft by Chicago. There have been plenty of questions raised this season about their effectiveness as a double-big duo, but Saturday’s game showed what Reese and Cardoso can produce when things are clicking.
Impressively, this effort came against MVP-favorite Napheesa Collier. The reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year had 26 points to lead the Lynx, but Chicago was able to control Minnesota’s secondary scoring and establish themselves in the paint through the size of Reese and Cardoso.
Chicago’s young duo are back in action on Monday night when the Sky host the Lynx once again, a chance for Minnesota to enact some immediate revenge.
