MINNEAPOLIS — The Chicago Sky may not have left Minnesota with a win, but they delivered a performance that showed this team is far from the pushover many expected earlier in the season. Sunday night’s narrow 80-75 loss to the WNBA-best Minnesota Lynx offered more evidence that the Sky are turning a corner — even if the standings don’t yet reflect it.
For much of this year, Chicago has been defined by its growing pains. The departure of veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot left a void in floor leadership, and new head coach Tyler Marsh has had to experiment with lineups to find cohesion. But in front of a raucous Target Center crowd, the Sky demonstrated they’re finding their footing — and forcing even elite opponents to respect them.
Leading the charge was guard Rachel Banham, who knocked down six three-pointers — three in a crucial second quarter — to keep Chicago within striking distance. Banham’s sharpshooting was a bright spot for a team that has often struggled to generate consistent perimeter offense. “I think we’ve found our groove,” Banham reflected postgame, alluding to the Sky’s recent improvements in both shooting and defensive discipline.
And there’s no doubt the defensive strides are real. Chicago held the Lynx — the WNBA’s top three-point shooting squad — to a frigid 6-for-25 clip from beyond the arc. That’s a dramatic shift for a Sky team that spent the early months of the season bleeding points on the perimeter. Over their last three games, they’ve limited opponents to just 32% from deep — well below their season average of 39%.
Banham put it bluntly: “We [told ourselves], let’s not talk about the same thing anymore. We were talking about turnovers. We were talking about defending the three-point line. Both those things we’ve fixed.”
Yet old habits still haunted them when it mattered most. A critical late-game lapse saw Chicago give up two offensive rebounds on a single Lynx possession, ultimately allowing veteran guard Kayla McBride to sink a dagger layup that extended Minnesota’s lead beyond reach. Coach Marsh didn’t mince words: “We talk about finishing possessions all the time. That was just us not doing that, and they made us pay for it.”
Adding to the frustration was the officiating, which Marsh lightly flagged and star forward Angel Reese called out outright. Despite Chicago ranking near the top of the league in points in the paint by percentage, they shot just eight free throws to Minnesota’s 17. Reese, who posted a monster stat line of 16 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and a block, was candid about her growing exasperation: “It’s frustrating because I know how hard we’re battling inside. That has to be fixed. I don’t give a damn if I get fined.”
Reese’s dominance on the glass continues to make headlines in its own right. With her fifth consecutive game of 15 or more rebounds, she set a WNBA record for the longest such streak — a testament to her relentless motor and nose for the ball. Even in defeat, her performance drew praise across the league and bolstered the Sky’s identity as a team that won’t be outworked.
That gritty reputation is starting to stick. A month ago, the Sky looked directionless. They stumbled through rotations, failed to close out games, and lacked the resilience to stand toe-to-toe with elite teams like Minnesota. But on Sunday, they led by as many as 14, even holding a 24-10 advantage after the first quarter before the Lynx clawed back.
Still, turnovers remain an Achilles’ heel — the Sky committed 13 miscues, compared to Minnesota’s eight, surrendering valuable scoring chances at pivotal moments. Their shooting efficiency was also suspect, converting just 37.2% of field goal attempts. Those are the fine margins that separate near-upsets from signature wins.
Yet this team is determined to close that gap. Help is on the way too: starting center Kamilla Cardoso is set to rejoin the lineup this week following a stellar stretch with Brazil at the FIBA AmeriCup. Her presence could bolster Chicago’s interior scoring and defensive toughness even further.
With five players scoring in double figures — Banham with 20, Reese with 16, Elizabeth Williams (12), Michaela Onyenwere (11), and Ariel Atkins (11) — the Sky are developing balanced scoring threats that can keep defenses honest.
At 5-12, Chicago sits fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, 2.5 games back of the Washington Mystics and 3.5 behind the Indiana Fever. It’s a precarious spot, but if Sunday’s performance is any indication, the Sky are far from finished. Their next test comes on the road against Washington on July 8 — a matchup that will be crucial for staying in the playoff hunt.
Resilience won’t be enough on its own. The Sky must sharpen execution, keep turnovers down, and ensure that improved defensive rotations become the norm rather than the exception. If they can do that — and if Reese continues to rewrite the record books — Chicago might yet prove that a rocky start was just part of a bigger, promising evolution.
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