Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky has become one of the most anticipated WNBA matchups in the league, and it didn’t disappoint on Sunday.
The matchup, featuring the most expensive WNBA seats on record, ended with the Sky winning 88-87 in after a thrilling second-half comeback. It came just one week after the Fever beat the Sky with an impressive 91-83 win.
The first half was incredibly tight, with seven ties and eight lead changes between the two teams. The second had both teams widening the gap, but only for so long: Chicago came out swinging in the second half, going on a 9-0 run to open the half, but the Fever quickly caught up.
As the third quarter finished, Indiana began pulling away, up by as many as 15 in the third quarter. But Chicago surged near the end to cut that lead in half heading into the fourth.
The Sky scraped back to a tie game, 82-82, with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. With a minute remaining, and the score tied at 84-84, Angel Reese hit a go-ahead layup to give Chicago the lead for good. Though Indiana had several opportunities to take the lead in the closing seconds due to a series of missed Chicago free throws, the Sky held on for the win.
Caitlin Clark and Reese, Indiana and Chicago’s top rookies, respectively, each picked up a double-double, in different stats. Clark ended with 17 points and 13 assists, while Reese picked up 25 points — a career high — and 16 rebounds. The game marked Reese’s eighth straight double-double, extending her record as the only rookie to achieve the feat, and making her just the third person in the league to reach the milestone.
Seven of Clark’s assists went to Aliyah Boston, who ended with 18 points. Guard Kelsey Mitchell lead the Fever in points with 24, going 5-for-10 on 3-pointers.
Reese led the Sky in points, followed by Chennedy Carter, who had a massive game with 23 points and five assists. Kamilla Cardoso, the other Sky rookie, earned a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Sunday’s loss to the Sky breaks a four-game winning streak for the Fever, who play Thursday against the Seattle Storm. Chicago, however, will take the confidence boost as they face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who are on the rise after a slow start to the season.
Indiana and Chicago will face each other for the fourth and final time this season on Aug. 30 in another home game for the Sky. Indiana leads the season series 2-1.
