Storm Dominates Sky 81-43 in Lopsided Victory

Chicago Sky vs Seattle Storm July 24. Photo provided by WNBA

The Chicago Sky's struggles continued Friday night as they suffered a crushing 81-43 defeat to the Seattle Storm, extending their difficult season without injured forward Angel Reese.

Without their star rookie, the 7-17 Sky were overwhelmed from the opening tip, falling behind 26-8 in the first quarter before Seattle pulled away for the 38-point victory.

The Stom established dominance immediately, building a commanding 21-8 lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Sky showed signs of life with a 9-point run during the final two minutes, led by guard Rachel Banham's five points, but still trailed 26-18 entering the second quarter.

Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter, with the Storm going on an 8-13 run, capitalizing on the Sky's 12 turnovers, and leading at halftime 39-26.

Without Reese's presence in the paint and on the boards, the Sky's limitations were exposed. However, head coach Tyler Marsh refused to use injuries as an excuse.

"It's not a talent thing right now," Marsh said. "For right now, we're looking for a fight. We're looking for competitors, and we have that in the locker room. It just needs to show itself more."

The third quarter proved decisive as Seattle found their shooting touch while Chicago continued to struggle. The Storm outscored the Sky significantly, building a 27-point lead. Although the Sky continue to struggle in the third quarter, Banham says that can't be the team's focus.

"It's just gross basketball," she said postgame. "It needs to be something we stop talking about."

Still, the Sky's third-quarter struggles were impossible to ignore, as center Kamilla Cardoso and guard Kia Nurse each picked up their fourth fouls, limiting their impact when Chicago needed them most.

Despite the loss, Cardoso recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Banham also contributed 13 points in the defeat.

Despite the demoralizing loss, Banham emphasized the team's resilience moving forward.

"At the end of the day, we still got a lot of games left, and we're not going to give up," Banham said. "We just got to bounce back and keep getting better."

The Sky will look to regroup before their next matchup against the Indiana Fever at the United Center, where they'll face a near-capacity crowd in what promises to be another challenging test.