Chicago Sky Lose Home Opener

Chicago IL

24 May, 2021

6:07 PM

Description

After suffering their first loss of the season on Friday, the New York Liberty handed the Chicago Sky their first loss Sunday in the Sky's home opener. The story of the 93-85 game was the Liberty's shooting. Despite the Sky forcing 22 Liberty turnovers, as compared to only 12 they had, the Liberty's shooting kept them in the game. The Liberty shot 49.3% (36/73) from the field, while the Sky shot 40.7% (33/81). The teams shot an identical 50% on three pointers, but the Liberty hit 14, while the Sky had six. The five Sky starters each played more than 30 minutes. Diamond DeShields led the team in scoring with 22 points. Courtney Vandersloot had 16 assists and 14 points for a double-double and she also added four steals. Ruthy Hebard's 10 rebounds were a team high. Meanwhile, six Liberty players scored in double digits, led by Betnijah Laney's 20 points. She also had six rebounds and five assists in a well-rounded effort. Sabrina Ionescu also recorded a double-double (19 points and 12 assists) as she seemingly was everywhere on the court. She also had five rebounds, a steal and three blocked shots. After missing all but three games with an injury last season, Ionescu looks to be fully recovered. The Sky's top pick in the 2021 draft Shyla Heal made her debut. She played five minutes, but missed the only shot she took. Despite a slip on defense, everyone seemed happy with her first appearance. The Sky (2-1) return to action Tuesday, hosting the Atlanta Dream (1-2), whose only win came against the the Indiana Fever (1-4). I look for a big rebound win for the Sky.