Sky fall to Storm 101-83; Quigley named to ASG

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In a game that featured four members of the 2018 WNBA all-star game, the Chicago Sky (7-16) fell to the Seattle Storm (17-6) 101-83.

Breanna Stewart continued to make her case for MVP honors with 30 points, nine rebounds, and four three-pointers. Jewell Loyd, who is going to the all-star game with Stewart, accumulated 20 points, ten rebounds, and eight assists in the win.

Alex Quigley, the Sky’s lone all-star, led Chicago with 18 points on four of six shooting from beyond the arc. Diamond DeShields, Stefanie Dolson, and Kahleah Copper all contributed 14 points each.

Going into the game, the Sky led the league in turnovers per game. Chicago would bring its struggles of handling the ball into the contest by finishing with 16 turnovers. The Sky battled early on limiting its turnovers in the first quarter. However, lackadaisical play disrupted its flow in the second.

Chicago’s head coach and general manager, Amber Stocks, felt the Sky let one get away.

“We had a moment there in the second quarter that really opened up opportunities for Seattle,” said Amber Stocks.

“In the end, the turnovers allowed some easy transition baskets for them. When you look at their field goal percentage, it’s a little skewed by the transition baskets they had. I’ll be interested to break that down a little further and look at their field goal percentage vs. our set defense.”

Seattle outscored the Sky 28-15 in the second quarter as Chicago couldn’t find its shot from deep. The Storm, on the other hand, had four players make a 3-point attempt in the second quarter and shot 40 percent from the perimeter the rest of the way.

On a morning when the Sky could have used more offense, rookie Diamond DeShields couldn’t be found in the first half. Known for her offensive-prowess, she took only three shots in the first three-quarters of the contest. One of those shots came in the first half. She would go four of eight with 11 points in the fourth quarter. However, most of those points came in garbage time.

After being one of Chicago’s go-to scorers, DeShields hasn’t put up more than 15 points since July 3rd. Stocks isn’t doubting her young star just yet.

“She’s been scouted, and teams are making visibly significant adjustments to how they start the game guarding [Quigley] and [DeShields] on the wing,” said Stocks.

The Storm started the game double-teaming DeShields who couldn’t escape the pressure until the fourth quarter.

As for Stewart and company, the Storm continue to thrive when feeding their three-year veteran the ball. Stewart racked up her third 30-point effort this season after the win versus the Sky. It also marks the tenth time since the start of the season where she scored 27 or more points in a contest.

The Storm now hold a two-game lead in the standings over the Mercury. By contrast, the Sky are now a half game behind the Liberty for tenth place.

Go to this link for the full box score.

The Sky will try to bounce back from its sixth loss in seven games when going up against the Dallas Wings on July 18th. The game starts at 5 pm at Wintrust Arena.