The Chicago Sky engaged in an air-tight matchup with the Connecticut Sun on Friday night. The game marked the first time Chicago played against former teammate Marina Mabrey since her blockbuster trade in July. Both teams went back and forth, but in the end, Connecticut escaped to win 82-80. Lindsay Allen provided insight into the culprit responsible for the Sky's nail-biting defeat.

“I think it's our defense,” Allen told reporters during the postgame press conference. “We didn't really do what we talked about doing at practice and in shootaround and according to the scouting report. So just locking in on that and continuing to do it consistently has been an issue for us all season.”

Chicago's defense against the Sun's bench hurt them the most. Connecticut's supporting unit shot 64.7 percent from the field and a blazing 62.5 percent on three-pointers. Much of that effort was spearheaded by Marina Mabrey, who led all scorers with 24 points and a red-hot 71.4 percent on three-pointers.

Mabrey added fuel to Saturday's matchup with an eye-opening take concerning the lack of championship DNA on her previous teams, which included the Sky.

“Being part of a team like [the Sun] that is so disciplined with a championship mindset, I haven’t been part of that yet,” Mabrey said before the Sun’s 69-61 win over the Sparks on Aug. 20, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mabrey's play on Friday reminded Chicago of the offensive void she left the team to fill. But the Sky must also lock in defensively if they want to have a chance against teams like Connecticut.

“Everything is defensive,” Teresa Weatherspoon said in support of Allen's earlier claim. “When you're putting them at the free throw line, fouling them, putting them at the free throw line… that's kind of tough for us. We want to defend without fouling, and we had some defensive miscues and letting people be wide open. That's definitely not who we are defensively.”

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Sky look to bounce back amid tough stretch 

The Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky huddle up on Aug. 18, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Owen Ziliak/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Sky's loss to the Sun moved their record to 11-16. They are now 1-3 since returning from the WNBA's Olympic break. Chicago is still working through some kinks after Marina Mabrey's departure. On the bright side, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese are doing all they can to help the team on the interior.

Reese finished Friday's loss with a 13-point-20-rebound double-double despite shooting a lowly 25 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Cardoso notched 18 points and six rebounds.

Chicago will seek a bounce-back win over the Las Vegas Aces in another challenging matchup on Aug. 25.