Chicago fell on the road Sunday, dropping a 96-91 decision to the Dallas Wings at American Airlines Center. The loss moves the Sky to 7-16 on the season, and while the final score was close, the fourth quarter told the full story of why Dallas remains one of the toughest teams in the league to beat at home.
The game was competitive from start to finish, with nine lead changes and three ties keeping things tense throughout. Chicago led by as many as 10 points and outscored Dallas 33-20 in the third quarter, but a dominant 22-9 run by the Wings in the final frame proved to be the difference.
Chicago’s standout performers carried the Sky deep into the contest
Rookie Sydney Taylor continued her impressive debut season with 20 points in 26 minutes, her fifth 20-point game of the year. She finished as a team-high plus-10 and remains one of only four WNBA rookies this season to surpass 250 total points. Her performance in the fourth quarter, where she accounted for nine of the Sky’s 18 points, kept Chicago within striking distance until the very end.
Azurá Stevens delivered one of her best games of the season, recording 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year. She shot 53.8% from the field and 50% from three-point range, also contributing three assists and two steals. Her efficiency in those combined categories placed her among rare company in WNBA history. Stevens was especially impactful in the third quarter, accounting for eight of the Sky’s 33 points in that frame, and carried that momentum into the fourth.
Kamilla Cardoso added 12 points and 13 rebounds alongside Stevens in the frontcourt, shooting 50% from the field for the 11th time in her last 12 appearances. Cardoso’s outing also came with historical significance. She tied Candace Dupree for fourth on the Sky’s all-time double-doubles list with 28, surpassed Stefanie Dolson and Elena Delle Donne on the franchise’s all-time defensive rebounds list, and moves to 519 career defensive boards as a Sky player.
Stevens also reached a milestone, surpassing Candace Parker for 16th on Chicago’s all-time rebounds list with 472.
Natasha Cloud contributed 15 points on 62.5% shooting and converted all five of her free throw attempts. Courtney Vandersloot added nine points and three assists in a season-high 20 minutes, while Elizabeth Williams pitched in six points off the bench in just 11 minutes of action.
Dallas Wings dominated behind Paige Bueckers and a deep supporting cast
Paige Bueckers led all scorers with 22 points and 11 assists, her playmaking proving especially lethal in the fourth quarter where she created or scored 20 of Dallas’s 30 points in the final period. Jessica Shepard posted 19 points and 10 rebounds, Li Yueru added 10 points and 10 rebounds, Arike Ogunbowale scored 17, and Azzi Fudd contributed 16 points with two steals. Five Wings players finishing in double digits made Chicago’s defensive assignment nearly impossible to manage down the stretch.
Dallas outscored Chicago in second chance points 17 to 9 and limited Sky turnovers to seven while committing just five of their own.
Chicago Sky look ahead to Seattle Storm on Wednesday
The Sky return home to Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, July 15, for their first meeting of the season against the Seattle Storm, who enter the matchup at 6-19 and riding a two-game losing streak. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast locally on U.
