Sky lose 93-78 to the Fever in sell out game at the United Center

Chicago Sky sell out United Center in front of 19,600 fans - photo by Mia Nuñez

Ahead of Sunday's game against the Indiana Fever, the Chicago Sky faced an uphill battle with only eight active players and without Angel Reese.

Despite having five turnovers in the first five minutes of the game, the Sky still managed to keep the game close initially. However, the Fever eventually took control when Indiana went on a 16-2 run during the last five minutes of the first quarter.

The Sky began to claw their way back in the second quarter, managing to outscore the Fever 26-25. The small victory still left Chicago trailing 51-39 at halftime.

Rachel Banham did her best to get the Sky back in the game in the third quarter. She came out strong, scoring and facilitating, which helped the Sky close the gap to 55-56.

"We knew what we needed to do," Banham said. "It starts with our defense, and we strung together some stops; we started pushing in transition."

However, the Fever went on another run, and Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell capitalized on several of the Sky's 20 turnovers, finishing the game with 35 points, six assists, and three steals.

"That first quarter was tough for us, and that was probably one of the main reasons we lost that game," Banham said. "But I'm really proud of our bounce back, and we talked a lot about going forward in the game. So we're not happy about the loss, but we fought hard."

While disappointed with the result, Coach Tyler Marsh says he always tells the Sky to compete, but today it wasn't enough.

"You learn to be proud of efforts like these, especially in a season that's been tough," Marsh said. "One thing about us is we're not going to give up."

Beyond the 93-78 loss, the game at the historic United Center in front of 19,600 fans represented a win for women's sports.

"It's great anytime that you have the opportunity to play in these big arenas and not only play in them, but sell them out and have that crowd and have that atmosphere and that energy," guard Kia Nurse said.

The loss leaves Chicago tied for 11th place with the Dallas Wings and extends their losing streak to five games. Entering the tail end of the season, the Sky will need to regroup quickly as they continue fighting for playoff positioning.