The Seattle Storm will try to improve upon their league-leading record when they visit the Chicago Sky on Wednesday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.
Seattle (16-6) enters the contest with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Phoenix Mercury and a 2 1/2-game advantage over the Los Angeles Sparks for the top spot in the WNBA standings. The Storm have won six of their past seven games and eight of their past 10 as they look to bounce back from last year's first-round playoff exit against Phoenix.
Storm guard Jewell Loyd said the team's success has followed a simple recipe -- teamwork and tenacity.
"We're winning a lot of games off our defense, which is something that we haven't been doing in previous years," Loyd said to the Seattle Times. "Our defense is really efficient and we've been able to find ways to win games late in the game. ... We found the right pieces for our team."
The game represents a homecoming for Loyd, a Chicago-area native who starred at Niles West High School before playing collegiately at Notre Dame. The 24-year-old is averaging 15.5 points per game this season, which is second on the team behind Breanna Stewart (22.5 points per game).
Chicago (7-15) will look to play the role of spoiler against Loyd and her teammates. The Sky have lost three games in a row, all by double digits, and six of their past seven.
Allie Quigley leads the Sky with 16.1 points per game. Rookie Diamond DeShields is next, averaging 13.4 points to go along with 4.9 rebounds. Courtney Vandersloot (10.9) and Cheyenne Parker (10.0) also are scoring in double digits.
While good defense has propelled Seattle to success, poor defense has proved costly for Chicago.
"I am steadfast in my conviction that our defense needs to improve," Sky coach Amber Stocks said recently to the Chicago Daily Herald. "When it's on and we're all playing team defense together, we are a dynamic defensive force."
This is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the teams. Seattle is looking for a series sweep after holding on for a 95-91 win on May 25 and posting a 96-85 win on June 12. Both of those games were in Seattle.
Stewart said the Storm have played with great chemistry and cannot afford a setback in the season's second half.
"If you look at this team, most of the players are accustomed to winning," she said to the Seattle Times. "As a team, we're tired of losing (in recent years). Individually, I'm tired of losing."
Chicago is 5-6 at home this season. Seattle is 6-2 on the road.
