Courtney Williams piled up a triple-double Sunday and the Chicago Sky scored the first 13 points of overtime to claim a 102-91 win over the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Williams finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists for Chicago (18-22), which will play top-seeded Las Vegas in a first-round playoff series that starts next week. Elizabeth Williams added 21 points, while Dana Evans tallied 18 off the bench and starting guard Marina Mabrey hit for 16 points.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Sun (27-13), which were locked into the three seed before the game. They will open the playoffs at home next week against either Atlanta, Washington or Minnesota.
Tyasha Harris added 17 points for Connecticut, while Natisha Hiedeman contributed 13 and DiJonai Carrington hit for 12. Starters DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Tiffany Hayes each played between 12 and 16 minutes as the Sun aimed to keep them fresh for the postseason.
Connecticut forced overtime when Leigha Brown put back a teammate’s blocked shot with 4.1 seconds left in regulation. The Sun trailed 89-80 before recording the final nine points in regulation in a 57-second span.
The main pregame storyline came from the Chicago side as leading scorer Kahleah Copper was sidelined with a toe injury. The team also announced Copper has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the team before she became a free agent. ESPN reported the contract is for $241,984 for 2024 and $248,134 in 2025, according to her agent.
However, Chicago rattled off the game’s first nine points, forcing Sun coach Stephanie White to call a timeout before her team scored, and the Sky owned a 23-19 lead after a quarter.
Chicago still led by six late in the second quarter before Connecticut rallied, getting a floater from Bonner as time expired for a 43-41 edge at the break.
Harris’ 3-pointer at the 4:34 mark of the third quarter gave the Sun their largest lead at 58-48, but Chicago stormed back. It ended the period with a 19-6 run, getting a reverse layup from Courtney Williams with 5.1 seconds left for a 67-64 lead going to the fourth period.
–Field Level Media