GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
- Sky had 6 players in double figures (all 5 starters plus Dolson). The 6 accounted for all 91 points.
- Both Kahleah Copper and Vandersloot had double doubles in the game. It was the 2nd for each in the 2021 Playoffs
- Sky outscored Phoenix 48-32 in the paint.
- The Sky held Phoenix to 28 total rebounds and only 18 on the defensive glass. The Mercury’s 11 offensive rebounds in the game yielded only 7 points
- The Sky had 10 offensive rebounds and 15 Second Chance Points
- This was the Sky’s 1st WNBA Finals victory in franchise history.
WNBA Finals Game 1 Postgame Media Availability
NEXT UP: The Chicago Sky will play the Phoenix Mercury in Game #2 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday 10/13 with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m CT (9:00 p.m. ET) on . Sky fans can catch all the action on ESPN. Tickets for Games #3 and #4 (if necessary) that are scheduled for Wintrust Arena are on sale. See the Chicago Sky website (www.chicagosky.net) for details.
Chicago Sky Highlights vs. Phoenix Mercury| Game 1 WNBA Finals
KEY RUNS
- The Mercury had an 11-5 run over 2 minutes in the 1st quarter (from 4:09) to extend to a 9-point lead, their biggest of the game.
- The Sky ran off a 26-6 run over the last 8:59 of the 2nd quarter. The run included a 17-0 Sky spree. The Mercury were leading by 9 when the run began.
- After a Phoenix timeout at 9:11 of the 3rd, the Mercury had an 8-0 run to cut the Sky lead from 15 to 7. The Sky responded with a 6-0 run over the next minute to extend their lead back to 13
- Sky started the 4th quarter on a 15-5 run to push their lead to a game high 23 points
- Phoenix responded with an 11-0 run over the next 2 ½ minutes to cut the lead to 12 and force a Sky timeout
KEY STATS
- The Sky shot 36 for 68 (52.9) from the field for the game. It ws the team’s best shooting performance for the 2021 Playoffs
- Diana Taurasi played with foul trouble most of the game which limited her to 25 minutes on the floor
- Griner, the leading rebounder for the Mercury in the regular and post season, was limited to 6 total rebounds and only 3 on the defensive boards
- Griner, who led the WNBA in blocks in 8 of her 9 seasons, did not have a block today against the Sky
- Stephanie Dolson scored 14 on 6 for 8 shooting (75%) including 2 for 3 (66.7%) from Three in 16:37 off the bench
CHICAGO NOTES
- In the 2014 Finals vs the Mercury, the Sky never led in Game 1. Their Big Lead for the series was 4 points (in Game 3) and led by a total of 3:26. Today’s Big Lead was 23 and the team held the lead for 13:14 of the game (from 3:14 of the 2nd until the end)
- Kahleah Copper’s 10 rebounds equals her career high in playoff or regular season.
- Courtney Vandersloot recorded her 3rd career Playoff Double Double and 8th career double figure assist game.
- With her first assist of the game, Vandersloot moved past Ticha Penicheiro into 6th place for career Playoff assists. Vandersloot now has 211.
- Candace Parker’s 4th FGM moved her into 3rd place for career Playoff field goals ahead of Seimone Augustus (362)
- Parker moved into 4th in career Playoff Finals steals (26) moving past Deanna Nolan (25) and tied for 5th in career Playoff Finals blocks with Ruth Riley (25)
- The Sky is now 4-1 all-time in the month of October
- James Wade tied Pokey Chatman in career Playoff wins by a Sky coach (7). Wade reached the total in 10 games, Chatman reached it in 19.
PHOENIX NOTES
- Phoenix, who led the league in blocked shots in 2021, had only 1 block in today’s game
- The Mercury Big 3 (Diggins-Smith, Griner and Taurasi) scored 52 of the 77 Phoenix points (67.5%). The rest of the team was 10 for 53 (18.9%) from the field
- Phoenix bench was 3 for 15 (20%) for the game for 9 points, They also committed 8 turnovers.