The Chicago Sky faced a hungry Indiana Fever team at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday. Caitlin Clark and the Fever got their second win of the season over Chicago in a 71-70 nail-biting finish. The Sky received a notable performance from Kamilla Cardoso, who made her WNBA debut in the game. Fellow rookie Angel Reese, and sparkplug guard Chennedy Carter also had stout days. Chicago's first key takeaway is the outlook of Cardoso.
Kamilla Cardoso gives Sky hope for the future
Kamilla Cardoso scored 11 points, grabbed six boards, and went 5-for-7 from the field in 18 minutes off the bench on Saturday. The 6'7″ center's interior abilities were on full display in a heated battle against former South Carolina teammate Aliyah Boston. Cardoso looked relatively comfortable in the paint despite admitting she felt extra pressure making her WNBA debut in the post-game press conference.
Cardoso scored key buckets at the game's midpoint, but Aliyah Boston was right with her. Boston notched 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks against her former SEC running mate. One of the game's defining moments came when Boston got an and-one on Cardoso down the stretch, which helped the Fever keep their lead.
Cardoso has some things to work on, but her play in relatively limited action should excite Teresa Weatherspoon and the rest of Chicago.
Speaking of excitement, Chennedy Carter strongly made her presence felt for the Sky.
Chennedy Carter continues offensive ascent
Carter amassed a team-high 19 points to go with six assists and four rebounds. The fourth-year guard is making a concerted effort to take advantage of her Sky opportunity after an overseas hiatus.
“Just trying to always be ready whenever my number is called. I think I've put in a lot of work coming from China and Turkey this offseason. So I'm really ready to showcase my talent be ready when my name is called,” Carter said after the game.
Carter is rapidly ascending as a go-to offensive option for the Sky. Moreover, things got intense on Saturday when Carter got caught up in a scuffle with Caitlin Clark in the third quarter. Carter bumped Clark to the ground and was given a common foul. Teresa Weatherspoon felt the incident was simply a result of the two guards “competing” against each other. Carter embraced her matchup with Clark, but the star rookie held her own.
Caitlin Clark finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Her tempo and control helped the Fever quell the Sky's storm.
Sky look to keep growing after tough Fever clash
Chicago has hung their hat on being a tenacious defensive team; however, the Fever flipped the script and gave them a taste of their own medicine. The Sky turned the ball over 16 times. In addition, Indiana held them to a lowly 16.7 percent on three-pointers.
At the same time, the Sky still put up admirable resistance. Indiana was not much better from range, hitting just 24 percent of their threes. In addition, Chicago won the rebounding battle 43-33. Angel Reese largely contributed to Chicago's efforts with a game-high 13 rebounds.
The Sky retain some positive takeaways from their Fever clash despite falling to 3-4 on the season. Chicago is gearing up for another challenging battle against Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty on June 4th.
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