Chicago Sky force Game 4 against Sparks
Give one to the rookie.
Chicago Sky rookie center Imani Boyette had her hands full Sunday afternoon at the Allstate Arena. At any given time, she was guarding, and being guarded by two of the best post players in the WNBA.
Former Naperville Central star Candace Parker, a center for the Los Angeles Sparks, is a two-time league most valuable player. Teammate Nneka Ogwumike, a power forward, is the current MVP.
Yet, Boyette, who is just getting her career started, played as if she was a savvy, decorated veteran in taking on the actual savvy, decorated veterans. With a double-double and some big defensive plays, she was a difference-maker in leading the Sky to a critical 70-66 WNBA semifinals victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Sky, playing without leading scorer and 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne (thumb injury), was on the brink of elimination, down 0-2 in the best-of-five series. Now, there will be a Game 4 Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Allstate Arena.
"I felt like I hadn't shown up in this series yet," said Boyette, who struggled in the first two games of the series with foul trouble and cold shooting. "The lights have been kind of bright, and I'm guarding two of the best players. And so yeah, I had been very much a rookie this series. My teammates have done a very good job of encouraging me and staying on me.
"So maybe the third time's a charm, I guess."
In Game 3, Boyette finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and a key blocked shot in the closing moments that helped cinch the victory.
"It was huge," Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot said of Boyette's performance. "We've relied on her a lot this year, which is tough as a rookie. She's stepping up big for us when we need her the most. What was most impressive for me was those rebounds she got down the stretch. They were huge, and she's going up against one of the best rebounders that this league has seen in Nneka. She's tough and (Boyette) is right up there with her."
The Sky was down by as many as 15 points in the first half but opened the third quarter with a 17-6 run to take a lead. Boyette scored 7 points in the period.
Meanwhile, the Sky defense clamped down, holding one of the most efficient offenses in the WNBA to just 27 points in the second half, and 36.6 percent shooting from the field for the game. During the regular season, the Sparks led the league in team field goal shooting at 48.7 percent.
"It was defense, our defensive intensity, and we were able to stop them a little bit in the second half," said Vandersloot, who scored a team-high 17 points while also dishing out 5 assists. "(The 27 points Los Angeles scored in the second half) is just unheard of for a team that skilled and with that many offensive threats."
The Sky held Parker to 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Ogwumike had 22 points and former Sky guard Kristi Toliver added 13 points on three 3-pointers for the Sparks.
"Obviously (the Sky) is a good team. They are going to make a run," Parker said. "So what are we going to do about their runs? I don't think we responded very well to that and that's something we need to look at going into Game 4."
Reserve forward Clarissa Dos Santos added 10 points for the Sky, which is trying to get to its second WNBA Finals in franchise history.
The Minnesota Lynx, the defending WNBA champions, has already punched their ticket to the Finals. They swept the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.