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With special core, Chicago Sky make repeat WNBA title possible

Courtney Vandersloot dished out a game-high 10 assists in Chicago’s win. (Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)

Allie Quigley likes what she sees.

When the Sky guard locks eyes with fellow veterans Courtney Vanderlsoot and Candace Parker, she feels comfortable, confident. Ready for anything.

“When I see them on the court, I have so much trust in them,” she said. “I want to live and die with them.”

Together, the trio have 41 seasons of WNBA experience. They’ve won a championship, and now, with all three hitting free agency in the offseason, they want to win one more.

No WNBA team has won back-to-back titles since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002, and only two franchises have done it period, with the Houston Comets winning the first four WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000.

The repeat is elusive, and on Tuesday, with nine minutes left in regulation of the Sky’s win-or-go-home Game 3 against the New York Liberty, it was in danger of slipping away.

A minute earlier, Chicago held a 10-point advantage over the Liberty. But as Betnijah Laney sank a two-point shot — the latest in a 7-0 Liberty run — the lead was suddenly down to three.

In Barclays for an elimination game, the New York crowd was emboldened.

“I just saw all the towels flying,” Quigley said. “And I’m like, ‘All right, we’ve got to pick it up. We can’t let this crowd get into it.”

For the Sky, that “live or die” mode kicked in.

As for the Liberty, they didn’t score again for over six minutes.

Chicago secured a 90-72 victory, closing the game on a 22-7 run to advance to the semifinals against the winner of the Connecticut Sun-Dallas Wings first-round series and move one step closer to a second-straight championship.

“I think we all just kind of looked at each other and knew that we could do it,” Quigley said. “It’s going to come from all of us. That’s kind of how we’ve had our season this year is everyone stepping up in their moment. And I think that is what happened in the fourth quarter.

When Quigley says “all of us,” she means “all of us.” The Sky couldn’t have had a more balanced effort on Tuesday night.

Quigley and Kahleah Copper finished with 15 points each, Parker and Vandersloot had 14 apiece, and Emma Meesseman and Azurá Stevens each had 12. The Sky also assisted on 27 of their 75 field goals, an increase from their league-leading season average of 24.3 per game.

It was one of the most complete efforts the Sky have had this season. After a disappointing loss in Game 1, Chicago came back and dominated Game 2 in a record-breaking 38-point victory. As they demolished the Liberty, the Sky saw moments of near-perfection. They saw what they’ve been building toward all season, and they made it their mission to execute the same way in Game 3.

“Building on the last game, we saw a flash of a team that we really want to be consistently,” Copper said. “I think with the experience that we have, and what we felt in those moments, that is the team that we want to be, and that is the team that we want to continue to grow.”

The foundation of that team is Vandersloot and Parker, who each finished with double-doubles in the contest.

In addition to her 14 points, Parker grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out eight assists, coming close to the fourth triple-double of her career. Vandersloot had 10 assists to lead the Sky attack, while also grabbing five rebounds to go with her 14 points.

Then, there’s James Wade.

The fourth-year head coach was named WNBA Executive of the Year on Monday, and the proof of his qualification played a key role in knocking out the Liberty.

Beyond retaining Copper, Vandersloot and Quigley in the offseason, Wade made a number of franchise-defining moves. He signed Meesseman, who earned an All-Star bid in her first season with the Sky, helping to replace Stefanie Dolson and Diamond DeShields after they left in free agency.

Meesseman is no stranger to high-pressure situations like the one the Sky found themselves in on Tuesday. In 2019, the Belgian forward helped the Mystics to a championship, averaging 17.8 points off the bench and earning the Finals MVP award.

Wade also signed 32-year-old Rebekah Gardner, who spent a decade playing overseas before making her WNBA debut with the Sky this season. She made her presence Tuesday felt on the defensive end, disrupting Sabrina Ionescu and helping force the Liberty into 16 turnovers.

When you look up and down the Sky roster from starters Parker, Vandersloot, Quigley, Copper and Meesseman to bench players Gardner and Stevens, you see a complete unit that knows how to win.

“They are a great team,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “The chemistry that they have, they had poise. They just made plays.”

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Allie Quigley hit a couple of big 3-pointers down the stretch to help Chicago close out the victory. (Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Sky’s maturity was obvious in their response to the Liberty run, and during a timeout with 9:34 left, Copper saw the same thing that Quigley did: a team that had it all figured out.

Copper watched as Wade drew up a play and Vandersloot and Parker dissected it, relaying to their teammates exactly how it was going to go down.

“I’m sitting there, and I’m watching this all develop,” Copper said. “And then we go out there and execute. Just to see them really connect, it’s just like, wow.

“That’s the experience, that’s the leadership we need. And it really just carried us down the stretch.”

Now, with one foe down, the Sky are hoping their experience can carry them through the semifinals, and then the Finals, all the way to a feat a WNBA team hasn’t accomplished in 20 years. Another WNBA title.

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

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

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.

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