Sky, Mercury meet amid post-break struggles

The Phoenix Mercury have lost four of five since the WNBA All-Star break while the Chicago Sky are 0-5 over that span amid an overall seven-game losing streak.

A much-needed victory will be there for the taking when Phoenix visits Chicago on Sunday after both teams opened August with losses on Friday night.

The Mercury (16-11) faced a 16-point halftime deficit in Atlanta before losing to the Dream 95-72. Kahleah Copper (19 points) and Alyssa Thomas (12) were the only players in double figures as Phoenix battled inconsistency.

Starting forward and leading scorer Satou Sabally struggled to a 4-of-10 shooting night with nine points that were well below her 17.2 season average. Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts kept Sabally on the bench in the second half, later saying "she didn't bring the energy that we needed."

Tibbetts feels the rest of the roster could use a boost as the Mercury aim to salvage the finale of a five-game road trip. They are 1-3 on the trip so far.

"We've been a step slow ever since the All-Star break," Tibbetts said. "We're definitely in a funk. We need to find out how much we want to keep competing and keep fighting."

Chicago's current losing streak is its longest this season. Friday's 73-66 loss to the visiting Golden State Valkyries marked the only defeat by single digits. They led the game 54-52 through three quarters and were within one point with 2:23 remaining before they faded down the stretch.

Injuries continue to plague the Sky (7-20), who were without Ariel Atkins (calf), Angel Reese (leg), and Hailey Van Lith (ankle) and used just eight players. Courtney Vandersloot (knee) is out for the season.

Coach Tyler Marsh praised the efforts of new addition Sevgi Uzun, a point guard who contributed five points and played 18 minutes in her team debut.

"I thought she took command of the offense and pressured the ball well," Marsh said.

Kamilla Cardoso continues to be a strong post presence for the Sky, collecting 14 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double. The team is hopeful that Atkins will return soon; she has missed the past six games but recently returned to practice.

Phoenix can clinch the season series with a victory. The visiting Mercury clipped the Sky 94-89 on May 27 before scoring a season-high 107 points in an easy win at Chicago on June 21.

--Field Level Media