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Sky’s blueprint for beating the Sun comes down to the details

Candace Parker needs more help from her teammates for the Sky to come back in the semifinal series. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Curt Miller isn’t afraid to say it.

His team doesn’t have the smooth, offensive beauty that the Sky, Storm and Aces have. When the Sun win, they win ugly.

“There are a lot of free-flowing offenses of the teams left, and we know who we are,” he said on Sunday after his team upset the Sky 68-63 in Game 1 of the semifinals. “We are blue collar. We are going to be good around the basket, we are going to rebound, but we have to make it messy. And we got the game messy tonight, which was to our advantage.”

While the Sun are comfortable in that mess, the Sky are not. Their season has been defined by silky cuts to the hoop and organic ball movement.

“We need to be more in rhythm,” Julie Allemand said Tuesday after a practice session. “We just have to share the ball like we do. We were static, we were just waiting. We need to run, don’t overthink, just play our game.”

On Sunday, the Sun dictated everything from the pace to the style of play. Connecticut did all the little things right, while the Sky came up short in the details, an area they’ve typically thrived in this season.

Of the five matchups these two teams have had — four in the regular season and one in the postseason — Miller says the outcome has been decided in the final few minutes.

The reasons for the Sky’s loss were imprinted all over the contest, but the final four minutes of play offer a clear snapshot of the entire game. Here’s how it went down Sunday and what it means for the semifinal series as the teams prepare to tip off Wednesday in Game 2.

3:58 left: Alyssa Thomas drives to the hoop and knocks down a floater

Thomas’ game is a perfect example of the kind of grit Miller wants from his players. Despite shooting just 6-for-16 from the field (37.5 percent) in Sunday’s game, she made an impact in other ways. She had 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and, despite the overall sloppiness of the game, just one turnover.

Thomas’ ability to do everything for the Sun is a major key to victory. In the Sun’s 11 losses this season, Thomas has been held under five in one category (points, assists or rebounds) in all but three. The Sun thrive when she has a hand in every play. To have success in this series, the Sky need to limit at least one aspect of Thomas’ game, whether it’s stopping her from scoring, keeping her off the glass or limiting her ability to create for others.

3:26 left: Candace Parker knocks down a 3-pointer, assisted by Courtney Vandersloot

Parker did everything in her power to will the Sky to a win, finishing with 19 points, 18 rebounds, six blocks, five assists and four steals. Chicago, though, has found success in its balanced attack this season, and it didn’t get that on Sunday. Kahleah Copper’s 13 points and Emma Meesseman’s 10 were both under their season averages. Beyond those three, the Sky didn’t have another double-digit scorer. Allie Quigley finished with seven points while going 0-for-5 from 3-point range, while Vandersloot had just five points.

The Sky also didn’t get any major contributions from their bench, as Allemand, Azurá Stevens and Rebekah Gardner combined for nine points, seven rebounds and four assists.

In addition to the uncharacteristic lack of balance, Vandersloot’s performance was highly uncharacteristic. The guard averages 6.5 assists per game, second-best in the WNBA, but her dish to Parker to tie the game at 60 was just her second of the contest. Vandersloot has had only one game this season with fewer assists than the two she recorded Sunday: In a win over the Sparks on June 23, she finished with one assist in 16 minutes of play.

The Sky are capable of winning when Vandersloot doesn’t score, but they need her to be active in running the offense.

3:08 left: Kahleah Copper misses a 2-pointer

The Sky had a chance to take the lead at this point, and despite the miss, Copper is exactly the player they should go to in crunch time. Last season’s Finals MVP averages 15.7 points per game and has more than proved she’s capable of stepping up in big moments.

Copper started the game 4-for-4 with eight points and then didn’t take another shot in the second or third quarters. She had five attempts in the fourth. Copper needs to be a focal point of the Sky’s offense if they want to be successful in Game 2.

2:35 left: Brionna Jones makes a layup

The Sun have relied on Jones to make an impact off the bench all season — which is why she is a leading candidate for Sixth Player of the Year — and her impact was felt once again on Sunday. She scored 12 points off the bench to go along with three rebounds, three assists and one block.

1:31 left: DeWanna Bonner makes two free throws

Like Thomas, Bonner does a lot of the dirty work for the Sun. She finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, but no moment was more important than these free throws to give Connecticut a three-point lead. Bonner shot just 4-for-16 from the field during the game but still found a way to make an impact. It was exactly the kind of messy performance that Miller wants from his players.

1:08: Jonquel Jones blocks Parker

The Sun’s defense was one of the biggest factors in their opening-game upset. After holding the Sky to 35.5 percent shooting and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc, Jones put an exclamation mark on the performance by rejecting Parker and maintaining her team’s three-point lead. The Sky’s last point came on a 3-pointer from Meesseman with 2:11 left in the game. From then on, Connecticut locked down.

The Sun proved capable of covering up a lot of shortcomings — like their 37.3 percent shooting performance — with defense, and the way they smothered Chicago down the stretch was a major key to the win.

Jones, who was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team on Tuesday, did an excellent job guarding the paint and forcing Chicago into high-difficulty shots.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

NWSL Drops Schedule Framework for Expanded 2026 Season

A soccer ball rests on the pitch at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium before a 2025 NWSL match.
The NWSL will expand to 16 active teams for the first time in 2026. (Jay Biggerstaff/NWSL via Getty Images)

Even with the 2025 regular season on a break, the NWSL is staying busy, announcing its 2026 schedule framework on Wednesday as the league eyes its first-ever 16-team season.

With both expansion clubs Denver and Boston Legacy FC hitting the pitch, the NWSL plans to expand the regular season from its current 26 matches to 30 games per team, ensuring each club plays one home and one away match against each of the league's squads across the 2026 season.

The 2026 campaign will kick off on March 13th and run through November 1st, before the eight-team playoff field battles through the postseason, all aiming to lift the NWSL Championship trophy on November 21st.

Like previous seasons, next year's NWSL play will begin with a preseason appetizer, as the 2025 league champion and 2025 Shield-winner will face off in the 2026 Challenge Cup on February 20th.

Notably, the NWSL will pause regular-season play for nearly entire month of June, in part because the North America-hosted 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup will be using league venues across seven NWSL cities.

The league will also fulfill its CBA-mandated summer break, meaning each team's 30-game 2026 season will take place across 27 total weeks of competition.

Including the Challenge Cup and postseason play, the 2026 NWSL season will include 248 matches.

The league will release more scheduling details at a later date.

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