The Chicago Sky responded well after there 89-71 loss to the Seattle Storm on Monday night. Chicago beat the Phoenix Mercury 89-71, the very score the lost by on Monday night.
Allie Quigley led the way with 20 points on 8-17 shooting. Kahleah Copper also added 16 points to help secure the win. Chicago started the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead, but the Mercury cut the lead down to five. After the lead was cut to five, Courtney Vandersloot started a 7-0 run with a three-point play to put the game away.
Chicago used good ball movement and balanced scoring to help get them the win. They only shot 1 for 11 from beyond the arc, but Sky had four players in double figures and had 24 points off the bench. Stefanie Dolson finally returned from her ankle injury and scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Although the Mercury shot 7-19 from three-point land, they struggled from the field, only shooting 41.5% from the field. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Sophie Cunningham led the Mercury in scoring with 15 points apiece. But the Sky did an outstanding job defending Brittney Griner; she only scored 9 points on 3-11 shooting from the field. Also, Griner only grabbed six rebounds. For a player like Griner, this is unacceptable; she should be dominating these games. Chicago did do an excellent job doubling at times and mixing up coverages, but still, Griner is too skilled to let this happen. With Diana Taurasi out, Griner needs to get back on track.
It was a good win for Chicago to get back on track, they looked like a real title contender on Wednesday night. But for Chicago to win a title this season, they will need a healthy Diamond DeShields, and she will need to play at a high level. But they are looking good so far this season minus a few setbacks.
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