The Chicago Sky look to snap a four-game losing streak when they travel to play the enigmatic Dallas Wings on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Chicago (4-10) heads to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex after a 96-95 home loss to the New York Liberty on Wednesday. Sydney Taylor led the Sky with 24 points but missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer after putting Chicago ahead with a 3-pointer with 15.6 seconds to play.
Gabriela Jaquez added a career-high 22 points in Wednesday’s setback, with Skylar Diggins hitting for 19, Natasha Cloud scoring 11 and Kamilla Cardoso tallying 10 points.
The past two losses for Chicago have been in OT on the road versus Indiana and by a point on Wednesday. The Sky have dropped nine of their past 10 contests.
Taylor, an undrafted rookie from Louisville, is shooting a team best 70.7 % within five feet of the basket but is managing only 28.6% from beyond the arc.
“In my career, college career, I’ve gotten in trouble just being too flashy or doing too much,” said Taylor, who was 4 of 6 in the paint in Wednesday’s loss. “So just trying to keep it simple, do the little things that will keep me on the floor.”
The Wings (9-6) return home after an uneven 91-80 loss to Golden State in San Francisco on Wednesday. Arike Ogunbowale scored 21 points to lead Dallas, which has alternated between wins and losses over its past six games.
Dallas led early on Wednesday before giving up 19 straight points in the second quarter and scoring just seven in that period. The Wings clawed back to within a bucket at the end of the third,but the Valkyries dispelled a Dallas rally in the final quarter.
Paige Bueckers added 15 points and a game-high eight assists for the Wings in defeat, with Jessica Shepard adding 14 points and 10 rebounds and Azzi Fudd scoring 10 points.
The Wings would match their win total from last season, when they finished 10-34, with a victory on Saturday.
“I think we know how good we can be, how good we’re capable of being,” Fudd said. “You’ve seen glimpses of that and to kind of have a taste of that definitely motivates everyone.”
Shepard continues to be a key contributor for Dallas. She has amassed 10 double-doubles on the year, tied with the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese for the most in the league, and has recorded the league’s only two triple-doubles this season.
Saturday’s clash is the second of three meetings between the teams this year. The Wings earned a 99-89 win at home in the first game on May 20, with the third contest set to July 12 in Chicago.
–Field Level Media
