Chicago City Wire

A sellout crowd of 19,601 attended the Chicago Sky’s matchup against the Indiana Fever at the United Center on Sunday, setting a new franchise attendance record. The previous record was 19,496, set earlier this season when the two teams played at the same venue.

The game featured high scoring from both sides, with a total of 21 three-pointers made between the Sky and Fever. Rachel Banham led Chicago with a season-high 26 points, tying her season-best for three-pointers made with six and adding five assists. “That first quarter was tough for us, and that was probably one of the main reasons we lost that game,” Banham said. “But, I’m really proud of our bounce back, and we talked a lot, and we figured it out going forward in the game."

Indiana took control early by forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter while shooting 50 percent from the field. Kelsey Mitchell scored 26 of her career-high 35 points in the first half for Indiana. She became the first player in Fever history to score 35 points in under 35 minutes and set a WNBA milestone as the first to record at least 35 points, seven three-pointers, six assists and three steals in a single game.

Banham and Mitchell exchanged three-pointers throughout the contest. Banham shot 54.5 percent from beyond the arc while Mitchell went 7-of-10 from long range.

“I definitely came into this game, knowing I had to be aggressive, kind of being the only point guard out there,” Banham said. “Our posts were setting good screens. The second I feel them hit my person, I’m likely shooting it.”

After trailing by as many as 16 in the first half and down by 12 at halftime (39-51), Chicago responded with an 11-3 run in the third quarter. Kia Nurse hit a corner three-pointer that cut Indiana’s lead to one point before Indiana answered with a decisive run.

Chicago had four starters finish in double figures: Nurse contributed 14 points and six rebounds; Rebecca Allen added 13 points (including three triples), four assists and four steals; Kamilla Cardoso posted her fifth double-double of the season (third straight) with 12 points and ten rebounds; Elizabeth Williams had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

For Indiana, Aliyah Boston finished with a double-double—14 points and eleven rebounds—and six assists. Makayla Timpson provided support off the bench with fourteen points.

The Sky will not play again at United Center this season but continue to draw strong crowds at their home games—a reflection of growing interest in women’s basketball in Chicago.

Kia Nurse commented on fan support: “The kids have these great experiences coming to a WNBA game,” Nurse said. “And hopefully, that encourages them to pick up a basketball to either try and make it to the WNBA, or just learn all the stuff that you can learn from playing a sport. So, it’s exciting to be in this atmosphere. I thought the crowd was a good energy boost for us today, I know I felt them out there, so it’s always appreciative.”