The Chicago Sky will look to stay unbeaten when they host the Atlanta Dream on
Wednesday afternoon at Wintrust Arena near downtown Chicago.
Chicago (2-0) is coming off back-to-back wins over the Indiana Fever and the New
York Liberty to start the year. The Sky are averaging 81 points a game while
giving up an average of 70 points a game.
After finishing 12-22 last season, the Sky look like a much-improved team in the
early going.
“The balance of returning and new players, veterans and youth, and inside and
outside skill will all combine to create a unique and special chemistry with
this team,” Sky general manager and coach Amber Stocks said to the team’s
official website. “The young players are in good hands with the vets.”
One of the team’s top veterans is guard Allie Quigley, who scored 22 points in a
narrow win over the Liberty in the Sky’s first game in their new building.
Quigley notched 15 points in the second half, including two free throws in the
closing minutes that helped Chicago re-establish a three-point lead.
Sky guard Jamierra Faulkner also will look to maintain her hot play off the
bench after tallying 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in 22-plus
minutes on Sunday evening. She hit 6 of 9 shots, including 2 of 3 from deep.
On the opposite bench, Atlanta (0-1) will go for its first victory of the season
after an ugly 101-78 loss against the Dallas Wings in its season opener. The
Dream were led by three players who scored 14 points apiece, including backcourt
mates Tiffany Hayes and Renee Montgomery, along with reserve player Brittney
Sykes.
The Dream equaled the Sky with a 12-22 record from a season ago.
Atlanta rookie Monique Billings hopes to make a bigger impact in her second
game. She grabbed two rebounds but did not score in more than nine minutes off
the bench in her WNBA debut.
“I feel really good,” Billings said to the team’s official website. “I think
I’ve been making a lot of progress. I have a lot of good vets to look up to, and
that has helped me to see what I need to do because I just try to model my game
after them.”
Forward/guard Angel McCoughtry serves as one of Billings’ mentors. The
31-year-old recently eclipsed the 5,000-point mark for her WNBA career. A
four-time All-Star, she scored 13 points in Atlanta’s season opener.
