Sky reach two milestones in win over the Storm

CHICAGO – After winning their first WNBA championship in 2021, the expectations are certainly a little higher than one regular season win can provide.

But put into the context of the history of the Chicago Sky, Wednesday’s victory was one that provided the franchise two milestones at the same time.

With a 78-74 win over the Storm early Wednesday afternoon at Wintrust Arena, the Sky picked up their 20th victory of the season as their winning streak grows to five.

Playing without Courtney Vandersloot (Concussion Protocol), Allie Quigley stepped up with a team-high 18 points while Emma Meesseman played a complete game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. It was her hoop with 1:10 to go in the fourth quarter that provided the Sky the winning points in what was a tightly-contested game throughout.

That got the team a 20th win, a mark they’ve achieved four times before – 2013 (24), 2015 (21), and 2019 (20). It’s also the fastest the Sky have gotten to 20 wins in a season, doing so in their 26th game of the 2022 season.

The victory also officially clinched a spot in the WNBA Playoffs for the Sky, tying the franchise record for most consecutive postseason appearances. The Sky are in the postseason for a fourth-straight year dating back to 2019, which they also did from 2013-2016.

Perhaps more on the team’s mind is their focus on the top spot for the postseason, which they currently have with ten games to go. The Sky have a two-game lead on second place Las Vegas and a three-game advantage over Connecticut as the last month of the regular season continues.

James Wade’s team will next face the Wings at home on Friday before a game the next night against the New York Liberty in Brooklyn.