The Chicago Sky beat the Indiana Fever 100-77 on Monday night. Chicago was led by Courtney Vandersloot‘s record-breaking night.
Record Breaking Night
Vandersloot broke Ticha Penicheiro‘s record of assist in one game with 18 assists against the Fever. Penicheiro previously set the record with 16 assists in 1998 and 2002. Vandersloot broke the record by passing to her wife Allie Quigley for a corner three-pointer, and a couple of possessions later, she would find Quigley again for a three-point shot to give her the 18th assist.
Vandersloot did a great job setting up her teammates all night long. Including Vandersloot, Chicago had five players in double figures. Kahleah Copper and Gabby Williams led the way with 21 points apiece. Quigley added 19 points with four three-pointers, and rookie Ruthy Hebard added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Vandersloot scored 13 points of her own on 4-8 shooting from the field.
The Sky shot 54.3% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Chicago’s defense held the Fever to 38.9% percent from the field and 22.2% from three. Teaira McCowan led the Fever in scoring off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Candice Dupree added 14 points for the struggling Fever.
MVP Conversation
Over the past few weeks, Vandersloot has been playing her way into the MVP conversation. She leads the WNBA in assists with 9.3 per game and has 158 total assists on the season. This will be the fourth consecutive season that Vandersloot will lead the WNBA in assists. The impressive part of Vandersloot’s season is that she only turned the ball over 38 times this season.
In a game on August 18 against the Las Vegas Aces, Vandersloot dished out 15 assists; she had 15 assists in a game three times. After being so close, I know Vandersloot was glad to break the record finally. With all the injuries Chicago has gone through, the one consistent thing had been the leadership of Courtney Vandersloot, with her setting up her teammates for easy baskets, it makes the Sky’s offense dangerous.
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