Bria Hartley and Tina Charles each had 23 points, and Marina Mabrey scored 20, as the Connecticut Sun never trailed en route to their season-high third straight win, 94-84 over the host Chicago Sky on Saturday.
An ex-Sky player, Mabrey, who also registered eight assists, set the pace by scoring 16 in the first half. Charles added eight points in the third quarter and Hartley hit a key 3-pointer with 2 minutes left in regulation to give the Sun (9-27) a 10-point cushion after Chicago (9-27) used a 23-6 surge to turn a 73-52 deficit into a four-point contest midway through the fourth.
Charles added 10 rebounds for Connecticut, which shot 51.5 percent while winning for the fourth time in five games.
Kia Nurse had 19 points with five 3-pointers, Kamilla Cardoso scored 18 while notching seven rebounds plus five assists, and Angel Reese added 11 points with 11 rebounds for the Sky, who shot 49.2 percent from the floor, but 15-of-26 from the free-throw line and never recovered from a rough first quarter.
Chicago coach Tyler Marsh was ejected with 8:05 remaining in the second quarter when he darted on to the floor and in the face of official Tim Greene in frustration following a no-call from a physical play involving the Sky’s Elizabeth Williams.
Mabrey, who played 63 games with the Sky in 2023 and part of ‘24, scored Connecticut’s first seven points and had 12 on 5-of-6 shooting in the opening quarter. The Sun went 11-of-18 from the field to lead 28-13 after one period.
The Sky, meanwhile, started 1-of-7 from the field and missed their first six free throws of the contest.
Connecticut led by as many as 20 in the second quarter, but even with Marsh’s ejection, the Sky hung tough and held a 28-27 scoring advantage in the period. Chicago ended up shooting 48.6 percent during the first half and trailed 55-41 at the break.
The Sky, who broke a five-game skid with a stunning 91-85 victory at New York on Thursday, have lost 14 of 16.
–Field Level Media
