Sydney Taylor kept her hot streak rolling, knocking down four 3-pointers and pouring in 19 points as the Chicago Sky won their second in a row with a 96-82 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night.
The undrafted rookie star shot 6-of-10 from the field on her way to reaching double figures for the sixth game in a row and the 12th time in the last 13 outings.
Kamilla Cardoso recorded her ninth double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Sky (9-16), who had five players in double figures and sent the Sparks (10-14) to their third consecutive loss.
Natasha Cloud tallied 15 points, while Jacy Sheldon finished with 14 off the bench. Azura Stevens scored 12 points, while Cloud handed out nine of Chicago’s 27 assists.
The win overshadowed a big moment for Nneka Ogwumike, who surpassed Sparks legend Lisa Leslie as the franchise’s all-time leader in points, now standing with 6,281 points. Ogwumike finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, reaching double figures for the 10th consecutive game.
Dearica Hamby tallied 18 points and Erica Wheeler scored 14 for Los Angeles, which has lost its last six road games.
Los Angeles won the first meeting of the season against Chicago, beating the Sky 102-87 on July 10, and the Sparks led 8-2 early in this one as Ogwumike drove and knocked down a jumper over a defender with 6:54 left in the first quarter to reach her scoring milestone.
Chicago answered with a 7-0 run, grabbing a 9-8 lead on a 3-pointer from Taylor with 4:45 remaining.
The Sparks led 17-16 after one, but Taylor hit a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 14-2 run that allowed the Sky to surge in front 30-19. Taylor also scored on a jumper in the lane before Cardoso capped the spurt on a layup with 7:01 to play.
Wheeler got Los Angeles within 10 at 44-34 with 1:07 to play, but Gabriela Jaquez answered with a 3-pointer of her own and Chicago went on to lead 49-36 at halftime.
The Sky outscored the Sparks 33-19 in the second quarter, capitalizing on 12 turnovers and a 23-0 advantage in bench points.
Chicago had its lead cut to 65-59 with 1:24 to play in the third after two free throws from Ariel Atkins, but the Sky held a 69-63 advantage after three and opened the fourth on a 9-0 run.
–Field Level Media
