The Chicago Sky fell to the Dallas Wings 96-91 at American Airlines Center on Sunday, July 12, in a tightly contested matchup that featured nine lead changes and three ties. With the loss, Chicago dropped to 7-16 on the season, 6-9 against Western Conference opponents and 4-9 on the road, while still holding a 23-11 all-time advantage over Dallas.
The Sky matched one of the WNBA’s highest-scoring offenses for much of the afternoon, leading by as many as 10 points before Dallas used a late fourth-quarter surge to pull away. The Wings closed the game on a 22-9 run over the final 6:52 to erase Chicago’s lead and secure the victory.
Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 22 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, controlling the offense throughout the game. Jessica Shepard added a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Arike Ogunbowale scored 17 points. Azzi Fudd contributed 16 points and two steals, and Li Yueru recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds as five Wings players finished in double figures.
Chicago was led by rookie Sydney Taylor, who continued her outstanding first season with 20 points in 26 minutes. It marked her fifth 20-point game of the season, placing her among the top rookie scorers in the WNBA.
Azurá Stevens posted her fourth double-double of the year with 18 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals, shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. Kamilla Cardoso added another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 6-for-12 from the floor while continuing her efficient stretch in the paint.
Natasha Cloud finished with 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and made all five of her free-throw attempts. Courtney Vandersloot added nine points and three assists in a season-high 20 minutes, while Elizabeth Williams chipped in six points off the bench.
Chicago dominated inside, outscoring Dallas 54-38 in the paint, and exploded for 33 third-quarter points, shooting 64.7 percent from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 at the free-throw line during the period. The Sky also committed just seven turnovers while both teams shot an identical 48.0 percent from the field.
Dallas answered in the fourth quarter, scoring 30 points behind Bueckers’ playmaking and timely scoring. Bueckers accounted for 20 of the Wings’ 30 fourth-quarter points, scoring eight herself while creating 12 more through assists to help Dallas complete the comeback.
Cardoso reached another franchise milestone by tying Candace Dupree for fourth on the Sky’s all-time double-double list with 28 and moving into ninth place in franchise history in defensive rebounds. Stevens also tied Elizabeth Williams for 10th on the Sky’s all-time double-double list and moved past Candace Parker for 16th on Chicago’s all-time rebounding list.
Despite a determined effort and standout performances from Taylor, Stevens and Cardoso, Dallas’ balanced scoring, rebounding and late-game execution proved to be the difference as the Wings closed out the five-point victory.
