Chicago, IL — The Chicago Sky put together one of their most complete offensive performances of the season Friday night, knocking down timely shots and controlling the glass in a convincing 96-82 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sydney Taylor provided the offensive spark for Chicago, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc to lead all Sky scorers with 19 points. The rookie’s perimeter shooting helped the Sky improve to 7-16 on the season.
Kamilla Cardoso continued her strong play in the paint, recording a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while adding two blocked shots. Natasha Cloud flirted with a double-double of her own, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Jacy Sheldon contributed 14 points. Azurá Stevens rounded out Chicago’s balanced attack with 12 points.
Although the Sparks fell to their third straight defeat, the night belonged to veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike, who etched her name deeper into franchise history. Ogwumike scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, becoming the Los Angeles Sparks’ all-time leading scorer. She entered the contest tied with franchise legend Lisa Leslie after scoring 23 points Wednesday against Minnesota before surpassing the record with a short jumper early in the opening quarter.
The milestone adds another achievement to the decorated career of Ogwumike, who was selected first overall by Los Angeles in the 2012 WNBA Draft before spending the previous two seasons with Seattle and returning to the Sparks this year. The 36-year-old also climbed to third place on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list, moving past Candace Parker with 3,472 career rebounds. She now has 7,703 career points.
Dearica Hamby matched Ogwumike with 18 points for Los Angeles (10-24), while Erica Wheeler added 14. The Sparks were without All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, who missed the contest with a leg injury.
Chicago also played shorthanded as veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot remained sidelined with a knee injury, missing her fifth consecutive game.
The victory served as a measure of revenge for the Sky, who were routed 102-77 by Los Angeles just one week earlier.
Up Next:
The Sparks continue their road trip Sunday with a visit to Dallas, while the Sky travel to Atlanta looking to build on Friday’s win.
