DeShields scores 25, Sky rallies past Aces

Toward the end of Sunday's game against the visiting Las Vegas Aces, Sky rookie forward Diamond DeShields was inadvertently hit in the mouth by teammate Gabby Williams.

It was obvious that DeShields was in significant pain.

But that hurt probably couldn't compare to the hard punch in the mouth the Sky took on Friday from the Connecticut Sun. Just 48 hours earlier at Wintrust Arena in the South Loop, the Sun destroyed the Sky by 38 points.

The Sky's 95-90 come-from-behind victory over the Aces likely made everything feel better, from Friday's rough loss, to perhaps even DeShields' sore mouth.

"We really dug down and played together," said Sky coach Amber Stocks. "The way this team played together, they were passionate for each other."

The Sky, which got a game-high 25 points from DeShields and improves to 3-3 overall, was down by as many as 15 points to the Aces but made a run toward the end of the second quarter to cut its deficit to 7 points at the halftime break.

"I felt we had good momentum going into the locker room and we allowed that to carry over to the third quarter," said Sky reserve forward Cheyenne Parker, who finished with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. "We just tried to stay consistent offensively and defensively getting stops and I think that's where the turning point came."

Guard Jamierra Faulkner came off the bench to score 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the process. Point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who recently returned to the Sky after an extended overseas season in Turkey, had 15 points while dishing out 11 assists.

The Sky got scoring from eight of the nine players who entered the game, a necessity considering that two starters were missing from action: Allie Quigley (hip) and Stefanie Dolson (foot).

"What you saw on the court was a byproduct of what the players have been doing in practice," Stocks said. "Like for Cheyenne Parker to come in and play 30 minutes, she's really worked on her conditioning. She's put in the time.

"I learned about the productivity of what (the players) are doing to prepare for the moment. It's not the moment, it's the preparation you put in before the moment that allows you to seize the opportunity of the moment."

Las Vegas, which drops to 1-5, also got double-figures from four players, led by reserve Dearica Hamby who had 24 points off the bench.

A'ja Wilson, the No. 1 pick in April's 2018 WNBA Draft, scored 22 points in just 22 minutes. Kayla McBride added 18 points and Kelsey Plum had 11 points.