Kamilla Cardoso scored 26 points and Sydney Taylor added 14 as the host Chicago Sky defeated the Connecticut Sun 94-88 on Thursday to stop a two-game skid.
Connecticut (7-22) outrebounded Chicago (10-18) 34-28 and had all five starters score in double figures. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Sky, who outscored the Sun 54-39 after halftime to hand them their fourth straight loss.
Aneesah Morrow remained on a tear for Connecticut. Two nights after scoring a career-best 21 points in a 92-84 loss at Washington, the second-year forward matched that total despite contributing just four points after halftime.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa posted a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Sun. Diamond Miller (14 points), Leila Lacan (12) and Charlisse Leger-Walker (10) followed.
Remaining steady after a strong start to the third quarter was the key for Chicago. After a Taylor trey brought the Sky within three at the 6:59 mark, Connecticut pushed the advantage back to 12 just over two minutes later after leading by 14 late in the first half.
Cardoso hit two free throws to give the Sky a 74-72 lead with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. She split a pair to push the lead to seven points with 3:20 left. She went 10-for-11 from the foul line with a team-high six rebounds to help the Sky lead by 10 in the final minute.
Natasha Cloud scored 11 points for Chicago, and DiJonai Carrington contributed nine points in her team and season debut.
Carrington missed the first half of the season with a sprained left foot. Carrington hadn’t played since September, when she sustained the injury during the Minnesota Lynx’s playoff run.
Connecticut took a 49-40 lead into halftime. Long-range effectiveness helped the Sun create a cushion. They shot 4-for-8 from deep in the first 20 minutes compared to 2-for-14 for the Sky.
Morrow (17 points) and Nelson-Ododa (12) led all scorers at intermission. Cloud paced Chicago with seven first-half points.
–Field Level Media
