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Azurá Stevens' Big First Half, Chloe Bibby's Return Lift Sky Past Storm 95-90
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- Azurá Stevens' Big First Half, Chloe Bibby's Return Lift Sky Past Storm 95-90
(Matt Marton-Imagn Images)
Azurá Stevens scored 18 of her 20 points by halftime, aiding Chicago 's 95-90 victory over Seattle after a late comeback. Kamilla Cardoso was sidelined with knee soreness, but the Sky handled the early game effectively.
Storm coach Sonia Raman felt her team was never able to slow Stevens down until it was too late.
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"She got established early. Eighteen of her 20 points came in the first half," Raman said. "We lost track of her a couple of times on the perimeter, and she did a really good job taking what the defense gave her. If we closed out too hard, she attacked off the dribble. She's a very versatile big and had an excellent game."
Cardoso's knee had been bothering her since a Dallas bump, so Chicago played two stretch bigs in her absence. Chloe Bibby debuted for the Sky and played her first WNBA game in nearly a year, scoring a career-high 14 points and four assists in 19 minutes, finishing plus-14.
"It's been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks. I got here and then we were right on the road, but everyone has been super welcoming," Bibby said. "Today I just tried to do the simple things, and my teammates found me when I was open."
Chicago led 56-44 at halftime, thanks to runs of 14-5 and 16-6, increasing their lead to 14 points in the third quarter. Seattle then reduced the gap, trailing 86-75 with 6:24 remaining, as they scored nine consecutive points, with Johnson's 3-pointer bringing them within two. Vandersloot then ran down the clock and assisted Stevens for a play with 26.5 seconds to go, pushing the lead back to five. Cloud secured the win with free throws.
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"Sloot and I have so much chemistry that it honestly felt like old times," Stevens said of the go-ahead basket. "We waited until about 10 seconds on the shot clock, I set the screen, they switched, I rolled to the basket, and she delivered a perfect pass. All I had to do was turn and finish."
Sky coach Tyler Marsh explained that their composure late in the game is a result of the preparation following a loss to Dallas.
"We stayed engaged and stayed together. We split the fourth quarter into the first five minutes and the last five minutes so we can stay intentional about what we want in those stretches," Marsh said. "Teams are going to make runs. I thought we did a good job of not getting tense, staying connected, and continuing to execute."
Sydney Taylor scored 17 points for Chicago (8-16) and recorded 100 career field goals. Cloud, in her fourth start, chipped in 13 points and six assists with 60% shooting. Gabriela Jaquez was another double-figure scorer for Chicago with 10. Elizabeth Williams surpassed Ruth Riley to rank 10th on the WNBA all-time blocks list, moved ahead of Cheyenne Parker-Tyus for sixth in franchise history, and recorded her 2,000th career rebound.
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Johnson scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting, matching her career high, and was the first rookie this season with 300 points, 135 rebounds, and 30 steals. She said playing against fellow rookie Taylor motivated her.
"Chicago passed on me in the draft, so I've always got that chip on my shoulder. That's going to stay with me my whole career," Johnson said. "She earned my respect. I didn't even know she was a rookie. Chicago found a gem."
Dominique Malonga scored 16 points, 12 rebounds (7 on offense), and set a career high with four assists, while also achieving her 10th double-double this season, becoming the youngest WNBA player to reach that benchmark.
"I love Dom. She's an amazing talent. I played against her overseas a few years ago and she was already dominating then," Stevens said of Malonga. "She's so strong inside, she can shoot, she's long, athletic, and she's a worker. I think the sky is the limit for her."
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Awa Fam scored 14 points and retrieved seven rebounds, acknowledging that the loss was due to details that Seattle is still working to improve.
"We need to take better care of the ball. We have to recognize who has the advantage late in games, who is scoring well, get them the ball, and defend the hot players," Fam said. "We just need to be more patient and read the game better."
Jade Melbourne scored 11 points and led with five assists, while Katie Lou Samuelson , coming off the bench, went 4-for-4 for 11 points.
Seattle heads to Indiana on Friday. Chicago hosts Los Angeles that same night.
