Lthe escort Kahleah Copper anot 21 points, base Allie Quigley I reached 18 and inspired Chicago Sky opened the WNBA Finals this Sunday with a clear away win by 77-91 in front of Phoenix Mercury.
The Skies withstood Phoenix’s quick start and took control with a streak of 21-2 that spanned halftime to get a partial advantage of 17.
Base Courtney Vandersloot was tasked with leading the attack balanced of the Sky by providing a double-double of 12 points and 11 assists, which helped the Chicago team have a 53% on field goals and snatch home-court advantage from the Mercury in the best-of-five series.
The second game will be played next Wednesday on the same stage at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The Mercurys played without guards Kia Nurse (torn ACL) and Sophie Cunningham (left calf strain), and the lack of depth seemed to hurt them against one of the best offensive teams in the WNBA.
The pvot Brittney Griner had 20 points as leader of the Mercury, while the Hispanic escort Diana Taurasi arrived at 17 but this time it could not be a winning factor for the Phoenix team, which approached eight goals at the end before running out of strength and time.
The 2021 WNBA Finals are the first for both franchises since the Mercury swept the Skies 3-0 in 2014.
Both teams, established as within the elite of the WNBA, remain with competitive rosters that this season have led them to dispute the title of champions.
Taurasi’s inspiration kicked off Phoenix’s strong start to the final with two early 3-pointers, helping the Mercury build a nine-point early lead.
Parker led the Sky in the team’s reaction by scoring 11 points in the first half as he posted a 17-0 run late in the second quarter that put Chicago up 35-46 at halftime.
The Skies extended the lead to 17 in the third quarter before Phoenix hit a 10-2 streak that put them 45-52.
That’s the closest the Mercury will get.
The Sky continued with the scoring inspiration that allowed them to put the partial advantage at 66-86 when the middle of the fourth quarter was played.
Then came the great defensive work to face the last outburst of comeback that the Mercury reserves presented.
