Sky outshines Stars for third straight win
Sharing is caring. And right now, all the Chicago Sky cares about is making the WNBA playoffs.
That could happen if the Sky keeps sharing the basketball the way it did on Thursday night at Allstate Arena.
The Sky dominated the San Antonio Stars 94-74 for its third straight win, which was keyed by unselfish basketball and assists on 28 of its 38 made baskets. That's a scorching 74 percent clip.
The pretty passes also led to a high shooting percentage for the Sky at 57 percent. That clip was as high as 71 percent in the first half.
The Sky, which ranks second in the WNBA in assists (20.4 per game), entered the night tied with Atlanta and Seattle for the eighth and final playoff spot. Now the Sky, which was 1-7 at one point this season, sits alone in eighth place with an 11-16 record.
"It's really fun," Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot said of an offensive style that puts an emphasis on sharing the basketball. "We have a lot of shooters. And you can't stop everything. It's been pick your poison and that's been the story the last couple games."
Vandersloot, the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week, has been quite a story as well.
She recorded her fifth straight game in which she posted double-figure assists, a WNBA record. Vandersloot finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 assists against San Antonio. She was 9-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range.
Vandersloot's running mate in the backcourt, former DePaul star Allie Quigley, also had a notable assists game. She rolled up a career-high 9 assists and was in at the end trying to get her first-ever double-figure assists game.
Quigley also had double-figures in points with 17.
"I love this (style). It's fun to play fast like this," Quigley said. "No matter if you're scoring or assisting, it just feels like you're a part of it. Everyone is getting in on it."
The Sky also got double-figure points out of center Stefanie Dolson (15 points) and forward Jessica Breland (11 points). Four other players had 6 or more points.
"It was a fun and exciting day of basketball," Sky coach Amber Stocks said. "I'm really proud of our team, their hard work, how they moved the ball.
"We play well that way: moving the ball, finding open shooters, getting the ball inside. Courtney (Vandersloot) has done a great job of attacking and finding the open shot and keeping the defense honest."
The Stars, who sit in last place in the league after an 0-14 start but entered the game with a three-game winning streak, drop to 6-22 on the season. They were led by Dearica Hamby, who came off the bench for 17 points. Reserve Sequoia Holmes had 14 points and center Isabelle Harrison added 10 points.
Kelsey Plum, the NCAA's all-time leading scorer (3,527 points at Washington) and the No. 1 pick in April's draft, was held to 8 points. Former Northwestern star Nia Coffey, also a rookie for the Stars, had 3 points off the bench.