Chicago Sky vs Connecticut Sun August 25, 2017

The Chicago Sky played a very up-tempo game and came away with the 96-83 win over the Connecticut Sun. The Sky played a very balanced game with six players scoring in double digits with 25 assists on 38 field goals made. Courtney Vandersloot dished out 12 assists. She has now had 10 or more assists 11 times this season and seven times in the last eight games for Chicago.

Jessica Breland led all scorers with 15 points, while Adut Bulgak had 14 points, Allie Quigley had 13 points and Stefanie Dolson had 12 points.

For the Sun, Alyssa Thomas recorded her 12th straight game (25th of the season) in double-figure scoring finishing with 14 points and three rebounds. Jonquel Jones recorded her 21st game with 10 or more rebounds (11) in the loss. She has now collected double-figure rebounds in nine of the last 11 games for the Sun.  Courtney Williams posted 11 points and six rebounds. It was her 22nd game scoring in double figures and 16th game of the season with five or more rebounds.  Alex Bentley finished with 11 points and two steals. It was her ninth game of the season with 10 or more points. Brionna Jones scored a career-high nine points on 4-of-7 shooting along with six rebounds and an assist.

After the game, Sky Head Coach Amber Stocks stated: “Our players, our team played very hard, played intense and played together. We had great synchronization with our offensive strategies as well as our defense. We were moving and talking. Cappie (Pondexter) once again had a clutch performance in key moments and when Sloot (Courtney Vandersloot) is distributing the ball the way she does good things happen for us. I thought our inside game was impressive especially with Adut Bulgak coming in and making such a solid impact not only in scoring but in rebounding and she was able to secure some big rebounds for us. Connecticut plays at a very high tempo, they lead the league in scoring and point production, so we know that matching their pace was important. Likewise, we play fast that is part of our style of play too, both of us are in the top of the league in field goal attempts per game. So yes, we wanted to play our style and not only would it be a strength of ours, but it might be able to take advantage of a potential weakness in Connecticut.”

The Sky now travel to New York to take on the Liberty on August 27, while the Sun travel to Washington D.C. to play the Mystics on August 29.

See photos from the game below, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.

Chicago Sky vs Connecticut Sun July 25, 2017

Team basketball. Sharing the ball. Connecticut Sun Coach Curt Miller calls it "Sun basketball". That's what the Sun turned on, especially in the second half, to defeat the Chicago Sky 93-72 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The Sun set new season highs with 27 assists and 13 steals. They also had 28 rebounds in the first half, the most in any half of the season. Alyssa Thomas led the Sun scorers with 20 points, while Courtney Williams and Jasmine Thomas both had 17 points.

For the Sky, WNBA All Star 3-point contest winner, Allie Quigley had 20 points scoring in double figures for her eighth straight game.

After the game, Connecticut Sun Head Coach Curt Miller stated: “It’s an important win for us. Trying to keep momentum that we built before the All-Star Break. I don’t think at times we played Sun basketball. I think it was a pretty ugly game in stretches, both ways. Proud of the intensity, the fight that we had. We competed in the second half and showed more of Sun basketball. I thought we got, throughout the game, a lot of contributions from a variety of people. I loved when Jas Thomas played angry in the second half, it really helped us. AT’s (Alyssa Thomas) plus/minus was huge [25!]. We were great on the boards."

Chicago Sky's Jessica Breland commented regarding the Sun: “They are real young, they are active, and they move a lot. You can tell they have chemistry, they know each other, they can just throw passes and know they are going to be there. Overall, they run and they get up and down with Alyssa at the four and JJ she is really athletic and that makes Connecticut difficult.”

The Sun play the Washington Mystics next in D.C. on July 28th, while the Sky defend their home court against the Phoenix Mercury also on July 28th.

See photos from the game below, or visit the gallery here for full-size images.