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Judging by Monday’s Phoenix Mercury-Chicago Sky game, it appears clear rookie Brittney Griner will lead the Mercury — and the WNBA — in dunks and multiple-dunk contests. It also appears clear rookie Elena Delle Donne will be doing some leading, too. The Sky forward/guard from the University of Delaware just might be able to lead the team to the postseason. Which — like Griner’s two-dunk game — would be a first.
Elena Delle Donne enjoyed a successful WNBA debut with the Chicago Sky.
With a 102-80 victory, the Sky established itself — well, at least for one game — as a team to be reckoned with.
Delle Donne had 22 points and eight rebounds in her regular-season debut and was able to do something Griner could not: stay on the court. Griner drew three first-quarter fouls and sat out the second quarter. She had 27:25 of playing time to 34:41 for Delle Donne, who matched Griner in blocks with four.
“Today was absolutely amazing,” Delle Donne told media after the game. “We came here to get a win, and that’s what we’re leaving with. I feel like we were able to execute our game plan well, and it’s great to get out of here with a ‘W.’ It’s been a while since the draft, and I’ve been waiting for this first game. It feels like an eternity so I’m glad it went so well.”
During the second quarter, the Sky posted a team-record 39 points (one short of the WNBA record) in taking a 56-32 halftime lead. The Sky took a 17-9 lead after one quarter and definitely was ready for takeoff at US Airways Center in Phoenix well before the Mercury.
“The key was that first 3 1/2 minutes when neither offense knew what they were doing,” Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. “It was a matter of some scouting and getting some people locked in, and I think first-ame jitters. I think we did a decent job defensively. You don’t usually say that when a team scores 80 and our goal was 72, but I think at the end of the day, when the game needed to be decided,we locked in on some key defensive plays.”
Guard Epiphanny Price led the Sky with 26 points. She actually shot better from three-point range (6-of-9) than she did on two-pointers (3-of-6). Guard Courtney Vandersloot added 14 points, and Tamera Young came off the bench to score 10. Center Sylvia Fowles had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Sky, which outrebounded Phoenix 43-29. Three first-half fouls — two in the first quarter — limited Fowles’ playing time.
“It was nice to see everybody come together and play very well,” Prince said. “We had the ball, the passes went very well, we had assists, we had rebounds. We just clicked on everything. We played great defense, and it was a great game.”
Griner finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 18 points.
“In a loss you always learn a lot, so we’ll definitely go back to see what we did wrong and change it for the next game,” Griner said.
“It was tough on her [Griner] because she got those three fouls, and I made the decision to let her stay in,” Mercury coach Corey Gaines said. “Then I saw the way the game was being called and instead of putting it on her I felt that I needed to get her out of the game. And that really hurt us because she is a big part of our team.”
“Foul trouble will happen,” said Taurasi, who was called for a flagrant on Vandersloot. “It is a part of the game. But the way she [Griner] came out in the second half was good news. To be on the bench the whole first half and come out in the second and play that well, if we can get two halves of that, then we have a chance at winning some games.”
Maybe I missed it (I did turn away for a nanosecond from “SportsNet Central” on its midnight show), but Comcast SportsNet didn’t have time for a mention of the Sky game. Maybe if the WNBA had a TV deal with Comcast rather than ESPN, there would have been something. At least there was a local mention on Ch. 2 (CBS) — and possibly elsewhere (hey, I can’t DVR everything) — so the Sky figures to be something of a summertime sports presence. Well, at least for some of us who have no vested interest in the team’s success.
CSN did have plenty of time to cover the Cubs-White Sox interleague game and the Blackhawks’ Game 6 NHL victory vs. the Detroit Red Wings. It no doubt is purely coincidental that the Cubs, Sox and Hawks are business partners in CSN.
We will see which media show up for the Sky’s home opener Friday (May 31) against Connecticut at 7:30 p.m. at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
Griner’s postgame interview is available by clicking here. Game highlights, including Griner’s dunks, are available by clicking here.
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