The Indiana Fever routed the Chicago Sky 79-52 on Saturday night time, however the recreation was overshadowed by a daunting second within the first quarter when veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered an obvious knee damage and needed to be helped off the courtroom.
Vandersloot has been a key contributor for the Sky this season, averaging 10.6 factors and 5.3 assists in 27.3 minutes per recreation. The truth that the damage was non-contact raised extra concern, and in her absence, the Sky delivered one in all their poorest performances in franchise historical past.
Indiana icon Tamika Catchings, who led the Fever to a championship in 2012, supplied help for Vandersloot.
“Prayers up Slooty!! 🙌🏽🙏🏽,” she wrote on X.
No Chicago participant reached double figures in scoring, with Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen main the crew with eight factors apiece.
The 52-point output tied for the fifth-lowest in Sky historical past throughout a regular-season recreation.
It additionally marked the bottom scoring effort for the Sky since Sept. 19 of final yr, after they tallied simply 54 factors towards the Connecticut Solar. Their all-time low stays 48 factors, recorded in 2006 towards the Detroit Shock.
Indiana has now outscored Chicago by a mixed 62 factors throughout two conferences this season. Kelsey Mitchell led the best way for the Fever on Saturday night time with 17 factors, adopted by Natasha Howard with 13 and Aliyah Boston with 11. Aari McDonald contributed 12 off the bench.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh discusses influence of Courtney Vandersloot’s damage
Courtney Vandersloot’s presence was seen as a serious asset for the Sky, particularly given their urgent want for backcourt stability.
“She’s our engine,” Marsh mentioned (per ESPN). “She’s our captain and our chief on the market, so clearly, it is an enormous blow. However hopefully, it is not as severe as we might imagine.
“We’re hoping she is ready to bounce again, however in the interim, all of us bought to choose her up. All of us bought to carry her up; all of us bought to carry one another up.”
Courtney Vandersloot is already a franchise legend, having spent 12 seasons in Chicago after being drafted in 2011. She helped the crew win the 2021 WNBA championship.
She joined the New York Liberty for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, serving to make them their first-ever title final yr.
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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
