Sky Lose Home Opener 74-99 to Liberty
May 22, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release
The Chicago Sky fell to the New York Liberty 74-99 on Thursday, May 22 during the home opener. The Sky are now 0-2 this season and 0-2 against the Eastern Conference.
The Sky kept the game close in the first quarter before New York went on a handful of runs stretching the second, with Chicago ultimately losing. Rachel Banham led the Sky in scoring with 15 points off the bench, making five of her seven three-point attempts. In her first game against the Liberty since signing with the Sky this offseason, Courtney Vandersloot scored 14. Rounding out the Sky's double-digit scorers was Rebecca Allen with 11 off the bench.
Elizabeth Williams added seven points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists off the bench while rookie Hailey Van Lith notched four points and six assists, the latter of which led the Sky.
The Liberty had five players who scored in double digits, with Natasha Cloud's 18 points leading the charge. Cloud also led the team in assists, contributing eight of their 25. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu started the first quarter with 10 points and finished up the night with 16. Kennedy Burke added 17 points off the bench, making a career-high four three-pointers. The Liberty set the single game regular season record for three-pointers made with 19.
Other highlights include:
Ariel Atkins knocked down her 400th career three-pointer
Courtney Vandersloot passed Sylvia Fowles (399 games started) and tied Tangela Smith for 17th on the WNBA's all-time games started list with 400 career starts
Jonquel Jones passed Tina Thompson (372 career blocks) for 17th on the WNBA's all-time blocks list with 376 career blocks after Thursday
Jones passed Tangela Smith (2,335 career rebounds) for 21st on the league's all-time rebounds list with 2,336 after Thursday
Breanna Stewart tied Tamika Catchings for 15th on the league's all-time blocks list with 385 blocks
Stewart passed Janel McCarville (113 career blocks) for sixth on the Liberty's all-time blocks list with 114 after Thursday
NEXT UP : The Sky hit the road for a two-game west coast trip to take on the Los Angeles Sparks on May 25 and the Phoenix Mercury on May 27. Chicago went 3-0 against the Sparks last season and are 17-30 against them all time.
The Sparks are 1-2 this season. Kelsey Plum leads the team in scoring with 26.7 points per game. Former Sky center Azurá Stevens averages 18.3 points while Dearica Hamby records 16.3.
The game between the Sky and the Sparks tips off at 5 p.m. CT inside crypto.com Arena and will be broadcast locally on The U.
KEY RUNS:
The Liberty went on a 20-8 run from 9:15 to 3:26 in the first quarter
New York went on an 8-0 run from 8:19 to 6:11 in the second quarter
The Liberty then went on a 17-2 run from 4:16 to 0:43 in the second quarter
The Sky opened the second half on a 7-0 run from 9:47 to 8:42
The Liberty responded with a 19-8 run from 7:49 to 1:13 in the third quarter
New York went on a 16-6 run from 9:13 to 6:01 in the fourth quarter
KEY STATS:
The Liberty blocked three shots in the first quarter
The Liberty knocked down six three-pointers in the third quarter
New York notched three blocks in the third quarter
Chicago out-rebounded New York 36-28
The Liberty recorded 25 assists, assisting on 78.1% of their made field goals. The Sky recorded 16 assists, meaning they assisted on 64.0%
The Sky recorded 15 offensive rebounds, securing just five points on those second chances. The Liberty recorded three offensive boards, scoring zero points off those
The Sky allowed 27 points off 24 turnovers while the Liberty allowed just 15 points off 20 turnovers
The Liberty out-blocked the Sky 9-1
The Liberty led by as many as 31 points
CHICAGO NOTES:
Angel Reese recorded five offensive rebounds in the first quarter and five of the team's eight offensive boards in the period
Courtney Vandersloot accounted for five of the Sky's nine points in the second quarter (two points, three points created from assists)
Rachel Banham accounted for 11 of the Sky's 20 points in the fourth quarter (nine points, two points from assists)
NEW YORK NOTES:
Natasha Cloud accounted for 12 of New York's 25 points in the second quarter (four points, eight points from assists)
Sabrina Ionescu accounted for 18 of New York's 28 points in the first quarter (10 points, eight points from assists)
Ionescu accounted for 10 of the Liberty's 22 points in the third quarter (four points, six points from assists)
Jonquel Jones accounted for 11 of the Liberty's 28 points in the first quarter (eight points, three points from assists)
Breanna Stewart accounted for nine of the Liberty's 25 points in the second quarter (seven points, two points from assists)
Kennedy Burke accounted for 11 of New York's 24 points in the fourth quarter (nine points, two from assists)
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