The New York Liberty's slide down the WNBA standings continued on Thursday night, when the defending champions suffered a shock home loss to the Chicago Sky.
Though Chicago had been eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday night, the upstart Sky still pulled off a 91-85 upset win over the skidding Liberty at Barclays Center -- which saw New York fall to fourth in the standings amid a stretch of eight losses in 13 games.
Key to Chicago's victory was its strength on the glass. Led by Kamilla Cardoso (22 points/15 rebounds) and Angel Reese (21 and 10), the Sky boasted a 42-27 rebounding advantage over the Liberty. Conversely, no New York player secured more than seven rebounds.
MORE: Stunner in Brooklyn: Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso sink New York Liberty
The discrepancy on the boards continued what has been a season-long trend for the champs. Entering Friday's games, New York ranks eighth out of 13 teams in rebounds per game, and second-to-last in offensive rebounding.
Though the Liberty remains entrenched in a playoff spot, the upset loss at Barclays Center was enough for Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello to call out her players post-game. Brondello asked for more of a "gang effort" on the glass -- especially as New York faces the Atlanta Dream, the league's #1 rebounding team, in a pivotal matchup on Saturday afternoon.
"Rebounding's a big Achilles for us," Brondello said. "And if we want to go far in the playoffs, rebounding's a big thing for us."
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