Sun set sights on Sky (May 31, 2018)
The Connecticut Sun will look to stay unbeaten when they visit the Chicago Sky on Friday night at Wintrust Arena near downtown Chicago.
Connecticut (3-0) will make its road debut after winning each of its first three games on its home court. The Sun have opened the season by beating the Las Vegas Aces by 36 points, the Los Angeles Sparks by eight points and the Indiana Fever by nine points.
"One through 12, man, we're all killing it, so it's really fun out there right now," Connecticut guard Alex Bentley said recently to the Hartford Courant. "Everybody can score. We're buying into our defensive schemes, so everybody is getting stops, and we're all just running and playing."
Meanwhile, Chicago (2-2) will try to snap a two-game losing streak and stay on the right side of .500. The Sky posted early wins over Indiana and the New York Liberty, but they have dropped back-to-back decisions against the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm.
Chicago guard Alex Montgomery is undeterred by her club's recent setbacks.
"I'm excited for our team," Montgomery said to the Daily Herald. "As long as we all work hard and play team ball, I think the sky is the limit with us. That's what I'm always telling everyone."
Connecticut features a half-dozen players who are averaging double-digit scoring in the early going. Alyssa Thomas leads the way with 16.3 points per game and Chiney Ogwumike is next with 12.3 points.
Bentley and Jasmine Thomas are averaging 12.0 points apiece, and Courtney Williams (11.0 points) and Jonquel Jones (10.0 points) round out the top six. Thomas also has grabbed 10.0 rebounds per game to average a double-double in her first three games.
The Sky have lacked such firepower in their first four games. Allie Quigley leads the team with an average of 19.3 points per game, and rookie Diamond DeShields (13.0 points) is the only other player averaging in double digits.
Quigley has done the majority of her damage beyond the 3-point arc, where she is shooting 52.9 percent (9 of 17) this season. She has drained at least two 3-pointers in each game so far.
Connecticut guard Rachel Banham has had similar success in a smaller role for her team. She is shooting 50 percent (4 of 8) from behind the 3-point line and is coming off a career-high 14 points last week in a win over Indiana.
Chicago is 1-1 at home. Connecticut has no record on the road.
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