Sky, Sun clash amid far from heavenly seasons

A pair of struggling squads one step above the WNBA basement will meet on Sunday afternoon as the Connecticut Sun play host to the Chicago Sky.

The Sun have allowed at least 100 points in three of their last five games, while the Sky enter riding a three-game losing streak. Both teams are 2-7.

Not only did Chicago drop its last three games, but the losses were by a combined 64 points, or 21.3 points per contest. The closest of the three was Friday's 88-70 defeat against the Atlanta Dream.

The Sky shot 41.2 percent from the floor. While post players Kamilla Cardoso (15 points and nine rebounds) and Angel Reese (12 points and nine rebounds) both fared well, the backcourt struggled as Atlanta's Rhyne Howard dropped 36 points.

Chicago entered the fourth quarter down just 58-54 but allowed 30 points in the final 10 minutes.

"We've got to do a better job of stopping the bleeding," Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. "For us, it's just about putting together a consistent ballgame for 40 minutes. And I thought we did for about 30 minutes tonight."

The Sun are looking for a complete effort as well after absorbing a 100-52 loss to the New York Liberty on June 1 and a 104-67 setbacl to the Washington Mystics last Sunday. Connecticut has not played since, giving the team plenty of time to chew on a defensive performance that allowed Washington to shoot 57.1 percent.

Among the few highlights for Connecticut, Tina Charles had 17 points and nine rebounds in the loss, while Marina Mabrey flirted with a triple-double with 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

"We didn't start the game the right way," Sun coach Rachid Meziane said. "No energy, no defense. We missed some shots and all of our focus and our confidence disappeared."

The Sun and Sky are tied as the worst teams in scoring defense at 89.3 points allowed per game. Connecticut is also last in the league in scoring with 71.9 points.

"We have to find our identity," Meziane said. "But without energy, it will be tough to be a competitive team."

The game is the first of four meetings between the teams this season.

--Field Level Media