With under 10 minutes remaining and facing a double-digit deficit, the Chicago Sky inched dangerously close to making a trip to Phoenix for a do-or-die Game 5. Instead, their veteran sharpshooter Allie Quigley stepped in to save the day.
Quigley scored 11 of her team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to spearhead a fierce Chicago comeback, as the Sky overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to win Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, 80-74, to secure the franchise’s first-ever championship.
Quigley was 9-for-14 from the field and 5-for-10 from deep, raising her scoring average for the series to 18.0 points per game to lead the team. Kahleah Copper finished with 10 points on 5-for-13 shooting. She averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to take home Finals MVP honors.
Phoenix’s Brittney Griner led all scorers with 28 points on 12-for-19 shooting with seven rebounds and two blocks. She averaged 23.3 points per game for the series. Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith each finished the game with 16 points.
Chicago finally evened the score at 72-72 with just under two minutes to play on a deep three-pointer by Candace Parker. The Sky jumped ahead on a layup by Stefanie Dolson one possession later, then led by four on another Dolson layup with under a minute to play to cap an 11-0 run. Courtney Vandersloot sealed the win with a layup and two free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to keep the Mercury at arm’s length.
Chicago was making its second-ever Finals appearance after getting swept by Phoenix in 2014. The Sky are the 10th difference franchise to win a WNBA championship.
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