Chicago’s Third Quarter Spark, Leads To Win Over Mystics (6-6-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: WNBA
Washington D.C- The Chicago Sky picked up a 79-71 victory over the Washington Mystics, Thursday night at Capital One Arena. The Mystics now fall to 0-10 on the season remaining as the only winless team in the WNBA.
Angel Reese’s return home to the DMV area where she grew up sparked the headlines for this matchup in D.C. She had her family in attendance including Maryland basketball star her brother Julian Reese, along with her former LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, Kevin Durant’s mother Wanda, and many more.
The energy inside Capital One was electric as there was a lot of support for the visiting Chicago (4-5) notably when rookies Reese and Kamilia Cardoso entered the game. Both teams’ fans brought a great atmosphere into the building that made for an entertaining matchup.
Behind rookie first-round pick Aaliyah Edwards’ best game this year and veteran leader Ariel Atkins Washington would amass a 13-point lead in the third 48-35 with 7:57 remaining.
Chicago’s entire team would shift its energy, completely turning the game around. The Sky’s defense staggered Washington’s offense forcing them into sloppy turnovers and difficult contested shots. Chicago was active on the boards snagging up defensive rebounds to push the tempo out on offense, grabbing offensive rebounds leading to second-chance opportunities and drawing fouls. The Sky went on to outscore the Mystics 25-6 from the 7:57 mark taking a six-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Washington’s offense still couldn’t find the same success from the first half but was able to cut the lead to two with a little over three minutes left after a three-point play from Edwards. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough helped Washington generate a stop, stealing the ball and allowing D.C. to tie or take the lead. Unfortunately, Walker-Kimbrough turned around and threw a bad pass, one of the 24 Washington turnovers. This proved to be the turning point as Chicago scored the next six points leading by eight with a minute left in the game putting it all but out of reach.
Chennedy Carter scored a season-high 25 points off the bench, shooting 10-17 from the field. Reese had a strong double-double performance with 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and five steals.
Edwards, starting her second straight game in place of the injured Shakira Austin had an all-around season-high performance with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks. She was excellent all-around showing her ability to space the floor with the mid-range jumper and take it inside the rack, but also the defensive ability to have a physical presence down low challenging any player coming at her.
Walker-Kimbrough and Atkins were the other two Washington players who scored in double figures with 11 and 10 respectively.
I had a chance to catch up with Reese in the post-game conference and ask her about that third-quarter run. Take a look….
Washington had yet again another game where they had opportunities to run away with the lead and get back in control of the game but couldn’t overcome self-inflicting mistakes in key moments. This squad has been close to pulling out victories but must find a way to not let previous plays or mistakes overtake how they approach the next opportunity.
Shatori spoke about how close Washington is to changing the direction of its season saying “We just take it one game at a time. We don’t have time to hang our heads, no one feels sorry for us. We just have to do it but we just need one, all it takes is one. And that has to be the mentality, focus on the next opportunity and take advantage of it.”
Great words from the veteran leader.
