Led by a career-high 35 points and season-high nine rebounds from Natasha Cloud, the Chicago Sky hung on to beat the visiting New York Liberty 93-86 on Tuesday night after blowing a 13-point lead.
With the game tied at 32-32 just past the halfway mark of the second quarter, the Sky went an 11-0 run to make it 43-32. Cloud scored six points and Courtney Vandersloot scored five during the outburst.
But New York hung around and eventually regained the lead at 84-83 with 2:09 to go in the fourth quarter on a Marine Johannes 3-pointer following a Breanna Stewart steal. Cloud tied the game with a free throw then gave the Sky the lead back at 86-84 on a jumper with 1:17 to play.
After forcing a turnover on Cloud with her team down 88-84, Stewart missed a driving layup in traffic with 15.9 seconds to play. Cloud then made two free throws to put the game away as the Sky ended the game on a 10-2 run.
Stewart scored eight of her team-high 22 points in the first quarter. During the game, she collected her 3,000th point as a member of the Liberty franchise, making her the fastest player in WNBA history to score 3000 points with a single franchise — reaching the mark in her 145th game.
Sabrina Ionescu scored 18 points and handed out a season-high 12 assists after missing the Liberty’s previous game with a left foot injury.
New York offset much of that work in committing 12 of their 17 turnovers in the first half.
Azura Stevens scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field for Chicago, her first game in double figures since she scored 20 against the Dream in Atlanta on July 19.
Jonquel Jones left the game at the 3:31 mark in the first quarter with a left lower leg injury and was ruled out for the game shortly thereafter with a left ankle injury.
Kamilla Cardoso collected her 13th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Trailing 54-43 at the half, New York began to rally in the third quarter. They cut Chicago’s lead to five points following a trio of 3-pointers from Rebecca Allen. Allen scored a season-high 14.
The Liberty return to action Saturday evening at home against the Indiana Fever. The Sky host the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night.
–Field Level Media
