The Chicago Sky outscored the visiting Phoenix Mercury by 11 points in the fourth quarter to take a 73-70 win on Tuesday night at Wintrust Arena.
Courtney Vandersloot led the Sky (5-3) with 18 points and six assists. Kahleah Copper added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Emma Meesseman and Rebekah Gardner each scored 10 points apiece. Superstar center Candace Parker had an off shooting night (2 for 9) but grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.
Tina Charles led the Mercury (2-7) with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 12 points, while Diamond DeShields tallied 10 points and seven boards in her return to Chicago.
The loss was the sixth straight for the Mercury, which is the team’s longest slide since 2012.
The Mercury shot 4 of 20 from the floor in the first quarter and trailed by 10 points heading into the second. Phoenix closed the gap to seven points by halftime, thanks to a second quarter from Diggins-Smith that saw her tally two points, three assists and a block. The Sky shot just 6 of 17 from the field in the second.
For Phoenix, the game seemed to shift more in its favor after superstar guard Diana Taurasi was ejected late in the second half for arguing a no-call with a ref.
Phoenix took the lead early in the third quarter, jumping ahead with a 14-6 run to open the second half. Phoenix extended that run to 31-16 and took an eight-point lead. Charles had eight points and three assists in the third, powering the Mercury in the post.
Vandersloot took charge for Chicago in the fourth quarter, piling up 10 points, two boards, an assist and a block in the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Sky were without Azura Stevens, who missed the game with a non-COVID illness.
–Field Level Media