Sky Lose on Road to Mercury

Recap: Sky Lose on Road to Mercury

Caitlin Nicholson

The Chicago Sky lost to the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, May 27 89-94 at PHX Arena. Despite an early lead for the Sky, the Mercury rallied back in the second half to hand Chicago its fourth loss of the season. 

Through the first three quarters, the Sky built a promising lead, delivering a balanced offensive effort, scoring efficiently within the paint and beyond the arc. The Sky built a 16-point lead in the third quarter, and entered the fourth with a 71–67 advantage. However, the Sky were outscored 16–27 in the fourth as Phoenix’s hot shooting and aggressive defense in the final frame proved too much to overcome. 

After regaining the lead for the first time since the first quarter with just over seven minutes remaining, the Mercury never let up down the stretch and held on for the win.

Despite the loss, the Sky demonstrated strong potential, shooting 46.5% from the field and outrebounding Phoenix 42-30. In addition, all five starters finished with 10 or more points.

Ariel Atkins led all scorers with 21 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Courtney Vandersloot and Angel Reese each recorded double-doubles, with Reese tallying 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Vandersloot contributed 15 points and 11 assists. 

Kamilla Cardoso delivered a strong fourth-quarter performance to help keep the Sky in the game, scoring 10 of her 16 points in the period. She also ended the game with nine rebounds, four assists and a block. Kia Nurse added 14 points, making a season-high four three-pointers, while Elizabeth Williams chipped in eight points off the bench.

For Phoenix, Satou Sabally led the way with 20 points, while Kitija Laksa added 18 off the bench. Alyssa Thomas recorded a near-triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds.

The Sky’s performance marked an improvement in their recent play. They’ll aim to carry over positive learnings from this outing to earn their first victory when they face the Dallas Wings at home this Thursday.