Sky Fall Short Against Fever, 90-86, Despite Late Comeback Attempt

The Chicago Sky erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and had multiple opportunities to complete the comeback, but the Indiana Fever held on for a 90-86 victory Saturday at United Center.

Chicago trailed by as many as 17 points during the game and entered the fourth quarter down 71-62. The Sky continued to fight, cutting Indiana’s lead to three points late in the fourth, but could not complete the comeback as the Fever made the key plays down the stretch.

Natasha Cloud and Rachel Banham led Chicago with 17 points apiece. Cloud added four assists, while Banham shot 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-8 from three-point range. Kamilla Cardoso finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Jacy Sheldon contributed nine points while shooting 3-of-5 from the field.

For Indiana, Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting. Caitlin Clark finished with 26 points and 11 assists, while Aliyah Boston recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Sky started slowly, falling behind 8-0 before settling into the game. Chicago answered with a series of baskets from Cardoso and DiJonai Carrington before Banham’s three-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining gave the Sky a 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Carrington’s night ended early, however, when she was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 and ejected with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter. She finished with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in 3:30 of action.

After the game, crew chief Maj Forsberg said the foul met the criteria for a flagrant 2 because the contact was deemed unnecessary and excessive against a player in a vulnerable position. Forsberg also said Sophie Cunningham’s reaction following the contact was considered acceptable given the severity of the foul.

Chicago struggled to maintain its first-quarter momentum in the second. Indiana shot 10-of-14 from the field during the period while the Sky went 7-of-18. Clark scored 12 points in the quarter, and the Fever eventually built a 17-point lead before Chicago trimmed the deficit to 11 by halftime.

The Sky continued to battle in the third quarter, outscoring Indiana 20-18, but still entered the fourth trailing 71-62. Chicago then produced its strongest stretch of the game in the final period, forcing turnovers and converting them into points. Sheldon hit a 24-foot three-pointer with 8:12 remaining to cut Indiana’s lead to 73-70.

Chicago eventually pulled within four points when Banham scored on a cutting layup with 57.4 seconds remaining. Mitchell answered with a step-back jumper for Indiana, but Sheldon responded with another three-pointer with 28.4 seconds left, making it 89-86.

The Sky had another chance after Clark made just one of two free throws with 17.9 seconds remaining. Cardoso went to the line with 4.1 seconds left but missed both attempts. Chicago retained possession, giving Banham one final chance from three-point range, but her 24-foot attempt at the buzzer missed.

The game also included technical fouls involving players from both teams. Clark was assessed a technical with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter, while Cloud received one with 7:14 left in the fourth. Forsberg said the official determined Clark intentionally made contact and that the league office would review whether any additional penalty should be assessed.

Cloud’s technical came after her reaction to a call involving a teammate. Forsberg said that reaction exceeded the league’s respect-of-the-game guidelines.

Despite the loss, Chicago’s fourth-quarter effort gave the Sky an opportunity to steal the game after trailing by double digits for much of the second half. The Sky shot 45.6% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range, while Indiana shot 51.5% overall and 40.9% from beyond the arc.