The bottom has fallen out for both the Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun, losers of 10 of their last 11 and 10 of their last 12 games, respectively.
The Sky (8-23) and Sun (5-26) will bid to piece it together at the other’s expense on Wednesday when they tip off in Uncasville, Conn.
Rachel Banham scored 11 points and rookie Maddy Westbeld added 10 in Chicago’s 92-70 setback to the Indiana Fever on Saturday.
“We didn’t play with pace, and we didn’t play aggressive,” Banham said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “We played right into their zone.”
Kamilla Cardoso was limited to just six points on 3-for-8 shooting from the floor. Unfortunately for Cardoso, she did not venture to the free-throw line — much to the chagrin of head coach Tyler Marsh.
“For a player to shoot at the rim as much as Kamilla does and to continuously go game after game without getting to the line, it’s frustrating,” Marsh said.
What’s also frustrating for the Sky is the absence of Angel Reese, who has missed five straight games due to a back injury.
Seen in street clothes during Monday’s practice, Reese took to social media later that night and presumably offered an update for her return to the court by writing, “in due time.”
Reese, who is the team leader in scoring (14.2), rebounds (12.6) and assists (3.7) per game, collected 11, 13 and 11, respectively in Chicago’s 78-66 win over Connecticut on June 15.
Hailey Van Lith erupted for a career-high 16 points in that game as the Sky reserves enjoyed a 36-2 edge over the Sun’s backups.
Marina Mabrey, who scored 22 points in that game to pace the Sun, struggled mightily in her last outing. She went 1-for-7 from the floor and misfired on all six attempts from 3-point range as Connecticut dropped its fifth straight decision with a 74-57 setback to the expansion Golden State Valkyries on Monday.
Rookie forward Aneesah Morrow recorded 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Sun, who played without Tina Charles (rest).
“No one can replace Tina,” Connecticut head coach Rachid Meziane said. “Everyone is unique on the team. The four other players need to contribute and step up and take more responsibility and play with more aggressiveness.”
–Field Level Media
