Emma Meesseman scored 10 points and made a big shot in the lane with 47.3 seconds left to help put the Chicago Sky over the top in a thrilling 95-92 overtime victory against the Connecticut Sun Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Conn.
The Sky (23-7) trailed 92-86 after Jonquel Jones’ free throw with 2:02 to play but Chicago rallied, closing out the game on a 9-0 run that helped the Sky beat the Sun (20-10) for the third time this season.
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points, her seventh 20-point effort of the year, and Courtney Vandersloot added a double-double of 16 points and 12 assists as the Sky won for the eighth time in their last nine games. Allie Quigley scored 13 and Azura Stevens added 12.
DeWanna Bonner poured in a season-high 23 points and tried to make a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired in OT, but the ball bounced off the rim.
Alyssa Thomas finished with 22 points and Courtney Williams scored 16. Brionna Jones added 13 and reigning MVP Jonquel Jones chipped in 11.
The Sun nearly won in regulation.
Copper lost the ball going to the basket in an attempt to score the game-winner in regulation, giving the Sun a chance to snag a victory after trailing by as many as 17 in the first half.
Williams launched up a shot as the buzzer sounded, but the ball bounced off the rim as the two teams headed to overtime locked up at 84-84. The wild game featured 15 lead changes and nine ties in regulation alone.
Chicago once again played without two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker, who was out with a non-COVID illness, but the Sky found others to step up.
Chicago scored 22 points in the paint to build a 27-17 lead after one quarter. Copper fueled the first quarter with eight points, including two off a steal that put Chicago up 21-11 with 2:40 to go. Chicago forced seven turnovers in the first.
It appeared as if the Sky would dominate the second as well. The Sun trailed 41-25 with 4:25 remaining after Bonner was hit with a technical foul for voicing her displeasure with a call.
That moment, however, seemed to spark the Sun, who went on a 17-0 run to take a 42-41 lead on a layup by Bonner with 43.1 seconds to play.
A tough drive to the basket by Copper with 1.4 seconds left allowed Chicago to cling to a 45-44 lead at halftime. She fell hard to the floor as she went up for the shot but was fine in the second half.
The Sun carried a 61-58 lead into the fourth. Copper gave Chicago a 79-76 lead late in the fourth with two straight driving layups. But Williams’ bucket for Connecticut with 15.2 seconds left tied the game at 84.
–Field Level Media