Slow-rising Sky vie for elusive home win vs. Mystics (Jun 24, 2017)
The Chicago Sky are still looking for their first home win but at least they have something to build on Sunday as they meet the Washington Mystics for the third time this season.
Chicago (3-9) claimed an 82-78 victory at Atlanta on Friday and has two wins in its last four games.
Allie Quigley scored 22 points in the win, Stefanie Dolson had 19 and Cappie Pondexter added 17 as she passed Katie Smith for fourth place on the WNBA's career scoring list with 6,466 points.
Pondexter also moved into sixth place in league history with 1,399 made free throws.
Sky coach Amber Stock says her team is showing increased consistency.
"The seeds are planted, the tree is growing," Stock said. "It is just a matter of until the fruits are visibly manifested."
A win on Sunday would halt an 0-5 skid at Allstate Arena and also give Chicago its first winning streak of the season.
Quigley is among four Sky players averaging in double figures. She has a team-high 16.4 points per game average, Dolson is next at 12.9 while Pondexter and Tamera Young follow at 12.8 points apiece.
The Mystics (7-5) have already beaten the Sky twice with a home-and-home sweep in late May.
Washington features former Chicago star Elena Delle Donne, who was traded from the Sky in the offseason. The former WNBA Most Valuable Player is averaging a team-high 20.1 points per game.
The Mystics are in a bit of a funk with three losses in their last four games, including a pair of defeats to league-leading Minnesota (9-1).
"We can contend now, but we don't have the experience of that many good veteran players that Minnesota and L.A. have right now," coach Mike Thibault told reporters recently. "Teams like us and New York and Seattle are trying to take the next step. Until Minnesota and L.A. show a few cracks, we'll have to work our butt off to get to that level."
Thibault and his son, assistant coach Eric Thibault, missed Friday's 96-76 loss to Minnesota to attend the funeral of Frank Thibault, the 92-year-old father to Mike and grandfather to Eric.
It was not immediately known if they would be back with the team in time for Sunday's game.
