Aaliyah Edwards delivered a career-high 26 points and season-high 10 rebounds as the Connecticut Sun held off the Chicago Sky 87-81 Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Connecticut controlled much of the first half before Chicago threatened late. The Sun led 44-29 at halftime and eventually pushed their advantage to as many as 20 points, but the Sky made a serious fourth-quarter charge.
Chicago used a 21-5 run from the 7:37 mark until 1:52 remained in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a late contest. The Sky shot 62.5% from the field in the final period while holding Connecticut to 31.3%.
Edwards helped ensure the early advantage was enough. She shot 11-for-16 from the field and added one assist to her double-double. She was particularly effective in the second quarter, accounting for 14 of Connecticut’s 28 points through her own scoring and an assist.
Diamond Miller supplied another 21 points, five rebounds and three assists for Connecticut. Kennedy Burke added 19 points and five rebounds while recording a season-high five steals. Burke’s 19 points also marked a season high.
Kamilla Cardoso led Chicago’s comeback effort with 24 points and 13 rebounds, recording her 15th double-double of the season. Cardoso went a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, matching her career high for made free throws.
Azurá Stevens came alive during Chicago’s fourth-quarter push. She scored 12 of her 18 points in the final period, making all five of her field-goal attempts in the quarter, including two three-pointers. Stevens also finished with five rebounds.
Chicago received additional production from its bench, which outscored Connecticut’s reserves 24-10. Rookie Gabriela Jaquez scored six points and finished with a team-best plus-10 in 22 minutes. Aicha Coulibaly contributed four points, six rebounds and a career-high two blocks.
The Sky also produced eight blocks compared with four for the Sun, but Connecticut’s early defense helped create separation. The Sun held Chicago to eight points in the opening quarter and scored 10 of their 16 first-quarter points off turnovers.
Chicago’s late rally ultimately couldn’t erase that deficit.
The night also included a significant WNBA milestone for Courtney Vandersloot. The veteran guard recorded her 3,000th career assist, becoming just the second player in league history to reach the mark after Sue Bird. Vandersloot reached 3,000 assists in her 458th career game.
The loss dropped Chicago to 15-24 overall and 5-14 on the road. Connecticut improved to 9-27 with the victory.
