It has been a difficult year for the Chicago Sky. A season-ending knee injury to veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot deprived Chicago of championship-caliber experience and its steadying hand in the backcourt, while burgeoning superstar Angel Reese has missed 10 games through injury as the Sky's rebuild around young players continues to trudge along.
But Chicago (9-26) demonstrated its true potential in a battling upset win over the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty (22-14) on Thursday night.
The returning Reese posted 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Sky to a 91-85 win at Barclays Center, but Kamilla Cardoso captured even more attention with a historic performance.
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Against two of the most accomplished bigs in the league, Cardoso scored 22 points, hauled in 15 rebounds and dished out five assists while making eight of her nine field goal attempts.
The second-year center became the first player in WNBA history to have a 20/15/5 game and shoot better than 85 percent from the floor in the process.
"She can be a force down there and facilitating," Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said. "She's got great hands inside. What she was able to do, it's no small task to outplay (Jonquel) Jones and (Emma) Meesseman."
Cardoso, selected four spots higher than Reese in the 2024 draft, has been questioned over her motor and consistency. But the former #3 pick is generating optimism that her best days are ahead of her as her partnership with Reese continues to grow.
"I just try to inspire myself after Angel," Cardoso said. "She's a great rebounder, and I try to do the same thing."
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