Two of the teams vying for the eighth and final spot in the WNBA playoffs meet on Sunday when the Chicago Sky welcome the Dallas Wings.
Sitting in 11th place and three games back of eighth-place Chicago, Dallas (9-25) can’t afford a loss. Especially after Friday night as the Wings held a 16-point, third-quarter lead against the Atlanta Dream but suffered a 107-96 overtime defeat.
After shooting 67.6 percent from the field in the first half, the Wings only hit 32.3 percent of their shots in the second half.
Despite a 24-point game by three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard, the Dream stole the momentum halfway through the third and rode it into overtime, where they outscored the Wings 15-4. Dallas lacked the physicality and control to sustain the Atlanta onslaught.
“Back in the first half we only had four turnovers. At the end of the game, we had 18,” Howard said. “That’s one thing we have to focus on more and also rebounding because in overtime they had three possessions without putting a body on somebody.”
If rebounding issues persist for Dallas, it’ll be a tough trip, with Chicago (12-22) leading the league with 37.4 rebounds per game. All-Star rookie Angel Reese leads the WNBA with 13.1 boards per contest, but the Sky announced Saturday that she would miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury.
The Sky ended their seven-game losing streak on Friday, thanks in part to the return of Chennedy Carter. The Sky point guard missed the previous four games with an illness.
Carter scored 15 points and flirted with a triple-double, finishing one rebound and three assists short in the 92-78 home win.
“I feel good,” said Carter. “it’s good to just get up and down and get my legs back under me and be out there with the girls. It was fun.”
Chicago holds its postseason destiny, and a win puts the pressure on the three sides challenging for a place in the WNBA playoffs.
This season, Chicago has won two of three games against Dallas, but the teams haven’t met since June 20. Reese scored 17 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in an 83-72 Sky victory. Arike Ogunbowale, who leads the Wings with 22.6 points per game, scored a game-high 31 points in the loss.
–Field Level Media
