CHICAGO — Minutes away from their first win of the 2022 WNBA playoffs, the Chicago Sky fell completely out of rhythm.
Nothing seemed to work for the reigning league champions. Kahleah Copper and Candace Parker fumbled passes at the top of the key. Allie Quigley — the most surefire shooter on the Sky — air-balled a 3-pointer with less than a minute left. And the New York Liberty pounced on every mistake, clawing back from a six-point deficit with 3:32 to play.
A pair of Natasha Howard layups and a 3-pointer and midrange jumper by Sabrina Ionescu gave the Liberty a three-point lead with 2:01 left and they never looked back, finishing the game with a 13-0 run for a 98-91 upset in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.