The Chicago Sky played with a purpose on Thursday night as they staved off the Dallas Wings for first win of the season, 97-92.
After starting the year 0-4, the Sky relieved themselves of that burden. They were up against a team in similar standing to them: a young team looking to cultivate an identity. The Sky combined their veteran poise and youthful energy to shoot effectively, protect the ball, play solid defense, crash the boards and manage the clock in the waning moments.
Chicago got off to a hot start, leading 29-19 after the first quarter. They held onto the momentum through first half, up 49-43 at the break despite a resurgence by the Wings. In the third quarter, the Wings came back thanks to the exploits of Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers and DiJonai Carrington. They outscored the Sky 30-19 to lead 73-68. Ogunbowale, who finished with a game-high 37 points, was carrying Dallas on her shoulders by scoring at will. Bueckers and Carrington each finished with 15 points, with Bueckers adding eight assists.
The back-and-forth battle commenced in the fourth quarter with no real sense of who was in control. Ultimately, the Sky outscored the Wings 29-19 and made some key buckets down the stretch.
Angel Reese scored on a cutting layup to put the Sky up 93-92 with 1:21…
