Kamilla Cardoso scored 26 points and made 10-of-11 free throws, and the Chicago Sky came back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Connecticut Sun 94-88 on Thursday night at Wintrust Arena.
In 21 minutes, Cardoso shot 8-of-12 from the field and picked up 5 fouls. The 11 free-throw attempts were a season high.
Advertisement
Sky coach Tyler Marsh was asked after the game whether the free throws came from Cardoso’s aggressiveness or from the officiating.
“I can make a case that she should shoot close to 11 free throws every game. I think she gets held a ton,” Marsh said. “For someone that shoots the majority of her shots in the paint, there’s just physically very little resistance that you can give to her without fouling her. She’s just that forceful. And so to go games where she has zero to five free throws, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Cardoso was asked about the same thing.
“I honestly think it was just a little bit of both,” Cardoso said. “Just me being aggressive and the refs finally giving me a foul call.”
Advertisement
Cardoso has the second-most 25-point games by a center this season, behind A’ja Wilson. She scored a career-high 30 points against Portland in June. Her 13-of-13 shooting that night was the most field goals without a miss in league history.
DiJonai Carrington made her Sky debut off the bench after missing Chicago’s first 27 games with a left foot sprain. On a minutes restriction, she played 16 minutes and finished with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block. Carrington shot 2-of-3 from three. She sprained the foot during Minnesota‘s playoff run last season and carried the injury into free agency. Chicago signed her to a one-year contract on April 12. Connecticut drafted Carrington with the 20th overall pick in 2021, and she spent her first four seasons with the Sun. She was named Most Improved Player and made the All-Defensive First Team in 2024.
Carrington was asked about the block she made in the fourth quarter.
“It felt good. It was really just instinct,” Carrington said. “Once you’re out there, I think I got a little groove and I stopped thinking and just started playing instinctually, and I think that’s the best way to play, is just go off of what you’ve done all your life.”
Advertisement
Marsh was asked how he planned to distribute Carrington’s minutes.
“A little bit of both. I went a little bit over her restriction today,” Marsh said. “But I just love the rhythm of her being out there, and she was getting good chemistry with the lineups she was out there with. And once we started to establish that momentum, I didn’t wanna disrupt that.”
Sydney Taylor scored 14 points and handed out a career-high 6 assists in 30 minutes. She shot 6-of-12 from the field. Over her last five games Taylor is averaging 19.8 points and 2.6 assists on 50% shooting from the field and 41% from three. Taylor leads all WNBA rookies in scoring across that stretch.
Marsh was asked about Taylor’s playmaking.
Advertisement
“I’ve been trying to encourage her for more of that, not being so reliant on shot-making and shot creation,” Marsh said. “I think she’s an underrated passer when she’s able to draw attention and get downhill.”
Natasha Cloud finished with 11 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. It was her 13th game in double figures this season. Courtney Vandersloot had 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in 23 minutes. Chloe Bibby came off the bench for 8 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Jacy Sheldon scored 7 points in 14 minutes. Gabriela Jaquez added 6 points, and Elizabeth Williams had 4 points and 4 rebounds. Aicha Coulibaly made the first start of her career. All 10 Chicago players who appeared scored.
Aneesah Morrow scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Sun. Olivia Nelson-Ododa recorded her third double-double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. Leïla Lacan had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Diamond Miller added 14 points and Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 10. Connecticut has lost four in a row.
The Sun led by as many as 14 and took a 9-point lead into halftime after a 23-9 run in the second quarter. After the break, Chicago outscored Connecticut 54-39. The Sky trailed by 5 entering the fourth. The Sky shot 75% from three in the third quarter and held the Sun to 25%. Chicago scored 33 points in the fourth.
Advertisement
Having trailed since the second quarter, Chicago tied the game at 70 with 8:02 left. Lacan’s driving layup with 4:54 remaining tied it again at 76. Cardoso answered 16 seconds later, and the Sky ran off 11 of the next 13 points. Nelson-Ododa fouled out with 3:20 to play and Chicago ahead 82-76.
Chicago played more zone in the second half. Carrington was asked about the defense.
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ve honestly done it much this season, and so it was good. We were moving, we were talking,” Carrington said. “They were killing us in the paint in the first half, so you have to make adjustments, and it worked.”
Chicago’s bench outscored Connecticut’s 34-15. The Sky scored 25 points off 16 Connecticut turnovers and held a 16-4 edge in fast-break points. Connecticut was whistled for 26 fouls, and Chicago shot 23-of-26 from the line. There were 6 lead changes and 6 ties. With 5:22 left in the third quarter, Cloud was assessed a technical foul. The announced attendance was 7,297.
Advertisement
Skylar Diggins did not play because of a knee injury, and Azurá Stevens was away from the team for personal reasons. Rachel Banham did not play by coach’s decision, and Maddy Westbeld was inactive. Connecticut was without Aaliyah Edwards and Brittney Griner, both with knee injuries.
On June 22, Connecticut beat Chicago 92-63. Griner passed Margo Dydek for the most blocks in WNBA history in that game. Chicago won the first meeting 85-80 on June 5 after trailing by 15, and the Sky now lead the season series 2-1. Chicago’s two largest comeback wins this season have both come against the Sun.
The Sky improved to 10-18 and are 6-7 at home and 2-9 against the Eastern Conference. Chicago is 36-40 against Connecticut all time.
Chicago hosts the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday at Wintrust Arena in the second game of a five-game homestand. Connecticut plays at Dallas on Sunday night.
