Neither the Chicago Sky nor Connecticut Sun did much to separate themselves in the first half of Thursday's game.
But the Sky were far more convincing in the second half, and they were rewarded for it.
The Sun dropped their second straight game as they fell to the Sky 81-75 at Wintrust Arena. It is the first time Connecticut has lost back-to-back games this season, and it now sits at 8-4. The Sun still are in command of first place in the Eastern Conference and third in the WNBA.
Chicago trailed by five through two quarters, but came out firing in the third, outscoring the Sun 29-18 in the frame to flip the deficit into a six-point lead. From there the Sky were in command, closing the door in the fourth with relative ease, despite a last push from the visitors.
Led by Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper, Chicago did a fine job stifling the Sun's typically dominant front court, as DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones combined for just 19 points. The skill of Copper on the offensive end left the Sun in a blender, too.
The Sun have been able to lean on Jonquel Jones for a while now, but it was clear they were struggling with the option to play through their leading point- and rebound-getter unavailable. Jasmine Thomas paced all Connecticut players with 20 points. Kaila Charles wasn't far behind with 15.
Jones is playing at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Championships, a tournament that won't end for another 10 days.
The Sun now look to prevent their skid from reaching three games when they face the Sky once more Saturday in the second leg of the back-to-back. Tip is set for 2 p.m. ET.
