Rickea Jackson saved five of her team-high 18 points for the final 1:41 and the new-look Chicago Sky improved to 2-0 on the WNBA season with a 69-63 victory over the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Kamilla Cardoso led a strong defense with seven rebounds and two blocks for the Sky, a 10-34 team a year ago that has opened the new season with back-to-back road wins at Portland and Golden State.
Chicago’s Skylar Diggins chipped in with 15 points and a game-high seven assists, and Jacy Sheldon added 12 points and three steals.
The Sky scored only 24 points in the first half and trailed by as many as 12, but they got their offense going in the second half, building as much as an eight-point advantage before holding on at the end.
A driving hoop by Kaila Charles got Golden State within 60-58 with 1:57 to play, but Jackson countered with her first 3-pointer in five tries, a critical hoop that extended the Sky’s lead to five.
Jackson added a pair of free throws with 46.7 seconds left for a 65-58 edge. Sheldon sank a layup with 23.8 seconds to go and Diggins made two foul shots with 19.4 seconds remaining, helping send Golden State to its first loss in three games this campaign.
Chicago won despite shooting just 36.2% from the field, 6-for-20 (30%) on 3-point attempts and 13-for-21 (61.9%) at the free throw line.
Jackson and Diggins also blocked a pair of shots for the Sky, who harassed the Valkyries into just 29.3% field-goal shooting and 7-for-26 (26.9%) from beyond the arc.
Gabby Williams tied the Sky’s Jackson for game-high scoring honors with 18 points and Veronica Burton had 16 for the Valkyries, who had averaged 93 points in their two opening wins.
Kiah Stokes pulled a game-high 11 rebounds to complement seven points and five blocks for Golden State on a night when 2025 All-Star Kayla Thornton went scoreless, missing all 11 of her shots and all three of her 3-point tries.
–Field Level Media
