CHICAGO (CBS/AP) — The Chicago Sky won their first ever WNBA Championship Sunday, taking three games out of four against the Phoenix Mercury.
The final score Sunday was 80-74.
Allie Quigley scored 26 points and Candace Parker added 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 15 assists for the Sky, who won the series 3-1, rallying from a 72-65 deficit with 4:42 left.
Marshall asked Parker if this championship meant more to her, given that the Naperville native is back home after having previously won with the Los Angeles Sparks and winning WNBA Most Valuable Player awards twice.
“I think the game was like a microcosm of what the season has been. The season has been hard – I mean, we’ve gone through ups and downs, injuries – all that,” Parker said. “But we still believed. We stayed calm. We stayed the course. It’s unbelievable, man.”
The Mercury’s Diana Taurasi was fouled on the next possession shooting a 3-pointer and made the first two free throws, but missed the third.
Vandersloot then scored in the lane to seal the victory setting off the celebration.
“We were down nine, down 11 and we stayed with it,” Parker said. “So proud of this group. Sloot doing what she does all year. Allie its amazing.”
As the final buzzer sounded, Parker sprinted to the corner of the court and hugged her family with tears in her eyes.
“Their defense went to another level trapping BG,” Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. “We got some good looks, layups. we missed them and they made them. Allie really changed the momentum of the game there.”
It was a full-circle moment for Parker, who triumphantly returned home to Chicago this season after spending 13 years with Los Angeles. She has been continually called the Sky’s missing piece throughout the playoffs, a label she proved accurate many times during Chicago’s stunning run, winning the title as a six-seed.
“It feels amazing. My high school coach is here,” Parker said. “I know Pat’s (Summitt) watching. Got the whole city here. We got the whole city here. We are champions for life now.”
Brittney Griner was a focal point of Phoenix’s offense early on. The seven-time All-Star finished the game with 28 points, 18 of which came in the first half. Griner and guard Skylar Diggins-Smith helped lead a 9-0 run to finish the second quarter and give Phoenix a 44-37 edge at halftime.
Parker initially had trouble getting into a rhythm offensively, going one for six from the floor with just four points by the end of the first half.
Kahleah Copper, who had been a force in the first four games of the finals, earned MVP honors of the championship.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a tweet congratulating the team. She wrote that the championship was “a first, but not the last.”
GETTING TECHNICAL
Emotions were high for both teams right from the start, as Taurasi and Sky forward Kahleah Copper were each hit with technical fouls within a 50-second span in the first quarter.
PACKED HOUSE
The Sky drew a sell-out crowd despite the Chicago Bears hosting the rival Green Bay Packers just down the street at Soldier Field. The Bears lost to the Packers 24-14.
Chance the Rapper was once again in attendance at Wintrust Arena to support his hometown team.
Courtesy: CBS Local Chicago
