Late chances denied as Chicago tops Connecticut to take 2-1 lead in series

Chicago’s Kahleah Copper (2) had a playoff career-high 26 points to lead the Sky past the Sun Sunday and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 semifinal series.

At this point of the season, it is a game of will and the Chicago Sky has just a bit more than the Connecticut Sun in game three of Sunday’s WNBA semifinal.

Chicago erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter, grabbed a six-point lead of their own and held off Connecticut, 86-83, to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 semifinal at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

The Sun had four chances in the final 20 seconds to take the lead but couldn’t quite get the ball to fall as the Sky moved one game away from advancing to the WNBA championship series. Game four is Wednesday night in Chicago beginning at 8 p.m.

The Sun need to bring home a victory on Wednesday to force a decisive game five at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, Oct. 8.

“When you get in that moment, you just have to knock down the shot,” Connecticut’s Dewanna Bonner said. “We had multiple opportunities to take the lead. but we just missed the shot.

“We did what (we have done) all year, we got a defensive stop, a defensive stop we could capitalize on but we just missed the shots,” she said.

Connecticut led by eight with 8:34 remaining before Chicago went on a 15-2 run to take a six-point lead with 3:28 left in the game. Alyssa Thomas had seven consecutive points for the Sun, who cut the lead to one, 82-81 with 1:09 remaining.

Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot hit a jumper from the top of the key with 52.9 seconds left before Briann January added two foul shots with 42.8 seconds left to cut the Sky lead to one, 84-83.

After a Sky turnover with 31.3 seconds left, it was Alyssa Thomas with an off-balance shot with 18 seconds left that Chicago’s Candance Parker grabbed. When the Sky inbounded the ball at midcourt, Connecticut’s Jasmine Thomas tapped the ball out of the hands of Chicago’s Allie Quigley.

Jasmine Thomas grabbed the ball and lofted a pass to January, who was ahead of the field. But she was too close to the basket for a layup so January tried a reverse layup with 9.8 seconds that she missed.

Chicago got the rebound and Vandersloot was fouled. She hit one of two free throws to give the Sky a two-point lead, 85-83, with 8.2 seconds remaining.

Alyssa Thomas’s shot was deflected by Parker and the rebound when to Jasmine Thomas, whose shot went off the glass to Parker, who cradled the rebound with 2.3 seconds remaining. Parker sank one of two free throws to ice the game.

Kahleah Cooper led Chicago with a playoff career-high of 26 points while Quigley added 21 points. Azura Stevens scored 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while Parker had 10 points and 10 caroms.

The Sun, who won 14 straight games to close out the regular season and earn the top seed in the WNBA playoffs, were led by Bonner with 22 points with Alyssa Thomas coming off the bench to score 18 points, 11 in the fourth quarter. January added 11 while league MVP Jonquel Jones had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“A tremendous WNBA game tonight. Both teams with fantastic players making plays and both teams playing their guts out,” Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller said. “Disappointed we came up short. We had momentum at times and we had chances at the end but we came up a little short. What a great series so far and it should continue in game 4.”

Some questions were raised about the last second opportunities for the Sun to take the lead. One reported asked if January felt some pressure from behind as she moved toward the basket.

Bonner leaped in to answer.

“Briann will have that same breakaway layup in game 4 and I guarantee you see will put it in,” she said. “We all believe in her in that locker room and that is not why we lost. We’ve been playing basketball all of our lives and everyone misses layups. Trust me, in game 4 she will have that same (shot) and she will put it in.”

The Sun’s successful season was built upon rebounding and in this series, the Sky have been pulling down rebounds and forcing turnovers.

Connecticut had just seven offensive rebounds in game three. Seven of Steven’s 11 rebounds for the Sky were offensive rebounds.

“Now, it is about will,” Chicago coach James Wade said. “It’s not really about skill when it comes to rebounding. It’s about will. We just have to make sure we stay there. We just want to make sure we keep them off the boards as much as possible and take care of the ball as much of possible. We think that will give us a shot.”

The Sun had 17 turnovers and the Sky scored 23 points of those turnovers.

“Turnovers were a big part of the story,” Miller said. “They turned so many turnovers into points, a huge percentage. They are just dynamic going from defense to offense. When you turn the ball over, they are really hard to guard.”

The lead changed 16 times and was tied 10 times. Both teams had their biggest leads in the fourth quarter.

Tied at 60 late in the third quarter, Natisha Hiedeman hit a three-pointer over Chicago’s Stephanie Dolson to give the Sun a 63-60 lead after three quarters. Alyssa Thomas hit a one-handed jumper early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to five.

After Stevens scored in the lane for Chicago, January drained a three-point shot off an assist from Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones scored in the lane on another nice feed from Alyssa Thomas for a 70-62 lead with 8:34 remaining.

The Sun led by seven after Kalia Charles hit a baseline jumper with 8:07 remaining but Chicago went on a 15-2 run. The Sky took advantage of a few mental lapses on defense to take an 80-74 lead with 3:04 remaining. Copper had nine points in the surge, including back-to-back baskets after Sun turnovers at the other end of the floor to close out the run.

“Kahleah’s energy was infectious,” Wade said. “She was really good everywhere — defensively and offensively. She and (Allie) Quigley made made big plays at a point where (Connecticut) could’ve made a big run.”

NOTES: The Sun fall to 0-4 in game three when the series was tied 1-1. … The Sun’s largest lead of the game was eight points while Chicago’s largest lead was six points. … A vocal crowd of 7,421 cheered on the Sky in Chicago.

Boxscore, game 3: Chicago 86, Connecticut 83

2021 WNBA semifinals
No. 6 Chicago vs. No. 1 Connecticut
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Chicago 101, Connecticut 95, 2 OT
Thursday, Sept. 30
Connecticut 79, Chicago 68
Sunday, Oct. 3
Chicago 86, Connecticut 83, Chicago leads series, 2-1
Wednesday, Oct. 6
Game 4: Connecticut at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 8
Game 5: Chicago at Connecticut, TBA, if necessary