WNBA: Chicago Sky First Home Opener

By Ronit Bezalel

Paula Johnson brought her eight year old niece Camille to the game. Terri Fitzpatrick’s 11 year son Barton was one of the dancers on the court. The WNBA has finally arrived in Chicago and the home opener delivered the promised family atmosphere.

The cozy UIC Pavilion was full of appreciative fans. Young volunteers enthusiastically tossed miniature WNBA replica balls into the stands. Kids dressed in oversized yellow and blue Sky t-shirts waved foam fingers, while their parents cheered. The Sky may be new in town, but the fans were already on the bandwagon.

The evening began as WNBA President Donna Orender welcomed the Sky to the WNBA. Then, Sky President Michael Alter received a standing ovation. After much fanfare – the game against the Sacramento Monarchs began.

Throughout the game, the expansion team Sky showed glimpses of talent. True, they never held a lead, allowed too many points in the paint and were out rebounded. But the young team hung in there. They kept game the within reach until the end, and the score was respectable when compared to the 105-78 beating Phoenix suffered against the Monarchs.

There were also some bright spots. Stacey Lovelace went 5 for 5 and led the Sky with 11 points, Candice Dupree had some stellar defensive plays and scored 10 points, and Ashley Robinson nabbed 5 defensive rebounds.

Still, there’s also work to be done. The Sky has only been playing together for a little over a month and they still need to gain shooting confidence. Chelsea Newton shot 1 for 11 and veteran Nikki McCray had an off-night scoring only two points.

Although the Chicago Sky lost to the current WNBA champion Sacramento Monarchs 76-63, the enthusiastic crowd had a lot to cheer about.

It will be interesting to see how the Sky plays the Monarchs later in the season when the two teams meet again.

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