CHICAGO —The Chicago Sky took on the Eastern Conference powerhouse Connecticut Sun in another intense matchup on Wednesday night. Angel Reese shined again with her fourth straight double-double, but the Sky fell 83-75 to Alyssa Thomas and Connecticut's tough defensive resistance. Kamilla Cardoso, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Marina Mabrey touched on the improvements Chicago desperately needs to make.
Kamilla Cardoso finished the night with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in 30 minutes. She held her own against the Sun's stout Alyssa Thomas-led frontcourt. The rookie center reflected on the loss with some straightforward, but insightful takes.
“I think the biggest thing for us was just focusing on the little details,” Cardoso said during the post-game press conference.
Cardoso noted Connecticut's stifling defense and how the Sky needed to handle the Sun's physicality better. Yet, she still believes there is room for growth.
“I mean it's basketball. You're never gonna play great for 40 minutes. There's highs and lows, but you just gotta stick with it and play hard together,” the rookie center added.
Kamilla Cardoso glowed about playing alongside fellow rookie Angel Reese, who scored her season-high in points (20) and grabbed 10 boards.
“I think we're building great chemistry. It's amazing playing with her and seeing her growth. I've heard a lot of people saying her game wouldn't translate, but she's doing it. She's doing such a great job and I'm super proud of her.”
Angel Reese continues to be highly effective for the Sky through the early part of the season. Nevertheless, Teresa Weatherspoon wants to see more from Chicago as a whole. She dove deeper into their struggles with a brutally honest take.
Teresa Weatherspoon gets real on the Sky's struggles after Sun loss
Weatherspoon noted that Chicago must improve all aspects of their play, but she emphasized defensive tenacity and offensive execution.
“Our defense must be a little more active. Can't allow them to get to where they want to get to,” Weatherspoon said. “Offensively, we must be able to read better. Seeing what's happening to us, and then running the right plays for the right people,” Weatherspoon said.
Chicago took Weatherspoon's previous advice about upping their intensity at the start of games. They held the Sun to zero percent on three-pointers through the first two quarters. However, Connecticut played hounding defense in the fourth to put Chicago away. Alyssa Thomas spearheaded their attack with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a whopping six steals.
The Sky understand the tough competition they were up against with the Sun. Connecticut entered the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference and improved to 10-1 with their win over Chicago. Meanwhile, the Sky fell to 4-7 with their second straight loss. Teresa Weatherspoon got brutally honest about her team's early struggles with an emphatic message.
“It's not like this fun. Nothing fun about losing. It doesn't matter the lesson you learn. There's still nothing fun about losing. So we have to correct some things and correct them quickly,” Weatherspoon sternly said.
Despite the brief slump, Marina Mabrey captured Chicago's optimism with one final take.
“We have some bright spots. We're right there,” Mabrey said. “We will end up on top eventually. Right now it's a little rocky, so we just gotta keep our heads up.
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