Chicago Sky claimed a narrow 82-80 victory over the Seattle Storm in the Women's NBA on Saturday night. The result moved the visitors further clear of the bottom half while leaving Seattle rooted in eighth place with only eight wins from forty games.
and here's the thing — the Storm started brighter than the final score suggests. They carried a two-point lead for much of the opening quarters before Chicago's experience told. The visitors built a twenty-one-point advantage at one stage, a margin that never threatened to become insurmountable, but it was enough to shift momentum.
The statistics tell a story of rebounding dominance on the away side. Chicago pulled down forty-seven boards to Seattle's thirty-four, and twelve of those were on the offensive end. That translated into thirteen second-chance points, whereas the Storm managed only two from their five offensive rebounds. It was not a clean-sheet night for either defence, but Chicago's ability to generate extra possessions made the difference.
Seattle shot from the field at a similar rate — twenty-nine of seventy-two attempts — but Chicago found more success at the line. Twenty-two of twenty-seven free throws went down for the visitors compared with sixteen of twenty for the hosts. Both sides made six three-pointers each, so the game was decided in the paint and at the charity stripe.
By then the Storm had fallen behind and could not close the gap. Chicago's biggest lead of twenty-one points had stretched to a twenty-point cushion before Seattle's late rally brought them within two. The Storm's seventeen personal fouls to Chicago's twenty-four showed they were chasing the game, but the extra possessions from the glass kept them from ever getting close.
The win leaves Chicago fifth in the standings with fifteen wins and twenty-five losses. Seattle remain eighth, their record unchanged at eight wins and thirty-two defeats. The Storm have not won since their last meeting with Chicago on 11 August and are running out of games before the season closes.