Despite Third-Quarter Surge, Sky Fall to Lynx at Home 75-85
Published on May 23, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release
The Chicago Sky fell short to the Minnesota Lynx 85-75 inside Wintrust Arena on Friday, May 23. The Sky are now 3-3 on the season, 0-2 at home, 3-3 against the Western Conference and 20-31 against the Lynx all time.
Kamilla Cardoso led Chicago in scoring for the second consecutive contest, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds while drilling all nine of her looks from the free throw line. Saturday's bout marks the sixth straight game the former Gamecock has corralled at least seven rebounds and the first in which she reached the charity stripe at least nine times.
Rookie Sydney Taylor flashed her offensive savvy with her most impressive professional performance of the season. In just her fourth regular season game as a member of the Sky, she dropped a career-best 11 points off the bench and reeled in a pair of rebounds. Taylor's 20 minutes surpassed her previous high of 9:33, set against Minnesota on May 17.
Skylar Diggins stuffed the stat sheet in the loss, scoring 13 points for Chicago, snaring six rebounds and distributing six assists. Rookie Gabriela Jaquez put up seven points and hit one of the two three pointers for Chicago, and Azurá Stevens finished with six points and three rebounds in her first regular season appearance with the Sky this season. Stevens previously played with the Sky from 2020-22.
The Lynx saw four players score in double figures Saturday. Veteran forward Natasha Howard registered 26 points, collected a season-best 14 rebounds and dished out five assists off an 11 of 15 clip from the field, while guard Courtney Williams tacked on 17 points and eight rebounds. Rookie Olivia Miles recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals, while forward Kayla McBride scored 13 points in a team-leading 35 minutes. The Lynx as a whole garnered a single-game season high of 54 rebounds.
Other highlights include:
Natasha Howard notched a season high of 14 rebounds
With her fourth assist vs. Chicago, Kayla McBride moved up to No. 6 on the Lynx's all-time assists list with 497, passing Katie Smith (496)
The Sky tied a current season high with six three pointers
Chicago recorded a season high of 11 steals
The Lynx pulled down a single-game season high of 54 rebounds
NEXT UP: The Sky hosts the expansion Toronto Tempo inside Wintrust Arena on Wednesday, May 27.
The Tempo moved to 3-3 on the season after a loss to the Lynx on Thursday, May 21. Former Sky guard Kia Nurse led the Tempo in the matchup, recording 23 points, shooting 6 for 11 from three, while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Brittney Sykes is the leading scorer for Toronto, averaging 22.3 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Former Sky guard Marina Mabrey is averaging 17.8 points while shooting 34.6% from the field to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Rookie Kiki Rice is the third leading scorer for Tempo, averaging 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 25.2 minutes of action while connecting on a 52.9% clip from the three-point line so far this season.
The game between Chicago and Toronto tips off at 7 p.m. inside Wintrust Arena and will be broadcast locally on The U.
KEY RUNS:
The Sky went on a 6-0 run to start the game from 9:15 to 8:46 in the first quarter
The Lynx went on a 15-6 run from 8:34 to 4:19 in the first quarter
Minnesota went on a 14-4 run from 0:41 in the first quarter to 6:15 in the second quarter
The Lynx outscored the Sky 28-16 in the second quarter
Chicago went on a 10-0 run from 2:49 to 1:16 in the third quarter
The Sky went on a 17-7 run from 2:49 in the third quarter to 8:12 in the fourth quarter
The Lynx closed the game on an 8-0 run from 6:33 to 5:14 in the fourth quarter
KEY STATS:
Minnesota recorded four blocks in the first half
The Sky notched five steals in the first quarter
Minnesota out-rebounded Chicago 29-13 in the first half
The Lynx posted a seasonal quarter high with nine assists in the second quarter
Minnesota tied a seasonal quarter high with 28 points in the second quarter
Starters scored all of the Sky's points in the second quarter
The Lynx out-rebounded the Sky 54-28
The Sky scored 29 points off the Lynx's 24 turnovers
Minnesota outscored Chicago in points in the paint, 42-30
Chicago's bench outscored Minnesota's, 27-7
The Sky scored 13 fast break points compared to the Lynx's six
Minnesota outscored Chicago in second-chance points 18-10
The Lynx's biggest lead was 16 points
There were three lead changes and four ties
The Sky shot 31.5% (23 of 73) from the field and 20.7% (6 of 29) from three while the Lynx connected on 43.2% (32 of 74) of their shots from the field
CHICAGO NOTES:
Skylar Diggins accounted for nine of Chicago's 16 points in the second quarter (six points, three points created from assists)
Diggins accounted for seven of the Sky's 20 points in the third quarter (four points, three points created from assists)
Kamilla Cardoso accounted for six of Chicago's 17 points in the fourth quarter
Cardoso finished with a team high of 17 points along with seven rebounds
MINNESOTA NOTES:
Natasha Howard accounted for eight of the Lynx's 24 points in the first quarter
Howard accounted for 14 of Minnesota's 28 points in second quarter (12 points, two points created from assist)
Howard accounted for 10 of the Lynx's 17 points in fourth quarter (two points, eight points created from assists)
Howard notched nine rebounds in the first half
Olivia Miles accounted for 11 of the Lynx's 16 points in the third quarter (seven points, four points created from assists)
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 23, 2026
- Despite Third-Quarter Surge, Sky Fall to Lynx at Home 75-85 - Chicago Sky
- New York Liberty Sign Anneli Maley - New York Liberty
- Toronto Tempo Player Injury Update - Toronto Tempo
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
