Candace Parker leads Chicago Sky to first WNBA title

Chicago wins archetypal WNBA rubric with 80-74 triumph implicit PhoenixBy CASEY DROTTAR Associated PressCHICAGO (AP) — Candace Parker returned location to bring Chicago a championship. She did conscionable that starring the Sky to the franchise’s archetypal title.

Allie Quigley scored 26 points and Parker added 16 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists and Chicago bushed the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 connected Sunday successful Game 4.

“We were down nine, down 11 and we stayed with it,” Parker said. “So arrogant of this group. Sloot doing what she does each year. Allie is amazing.”

Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 15 assists for the Sky, who won the bid 3-1, rallying from a 72-65 shortage with 4:42 left. Chicago scored the adjacent 9 points to instrumentality a two-point pb connected Stefanie Dolson’s layup. She past added different handbasket to marque it 76-72 with 45.8 seconds left.

Diana Taurasi was fouled connected the adjacent possession shooting a 3-pointer and made the archetypal 2 escaped throws, but missed the third.

Vandersloot past scored successful the lane to seal the triumph mounting disconnected the celebration. As the last buzzer sounded, Parker sprinted to the country of the tribunal and hugged her household with tears successful her eyes.

“Their defence went to different level trapping BG,” Phoenix manager Sandy Brondello said. “We got immoderate bully looks, layups. we missed them and they made them. Allie truly changed the momentum of the crippled there.”Quigley, who besides hails from Illinois, got the decisive tally started and Parker tied the crippled with a 3-pointer earlier Dolson’s baskets.

It was a full-circle infinitesimal for Parker, who triumphantly returned location to Chicago this play aft spending 13 years with Los Angeles. She has been continually called the Sky’s missing portion passim the playoffs, a statement she proved close galore times during Chicago’s stunning run, winning the rubric arsenic a six-seed.

“It feels amazing. My precocious schoolhouse manager is here,” Parker said. “I cognize Pat’s (Summitt) watching. Got the full metropolis here. We got the full metropolis here. We are champions for beingness now.”

Brittney Griner was a focal constituent of Phoenix’s discourtesy aboriginal on. The seven-time All-Star finished the crippled with 28 points, 18 of which came successful the archetypal half. Griner and defender Skylar Diggins-Smith helped pb a 9-0 tally to decorativeness the 2nd 4th and springiness Phoenix a 44-37 borderline astatine halftime.

Parker initially had occupation getting into a bushed offensively, going 1 for six from the level with conscionable 4 points by the extremity of the archetypal half.

Kahleah Copper, who had been a unit successful the archetypal 4 games of the finals, earned MVP honors of the championship.

GETTING TECHNICAL

Emotions were precocious for some teams close from the start, arsenic Taurasi and Sky guardant Kahleah Copper were each deed with method fouls wrong a 50-second span successful the archetypal quarter.

PACKED HOUSE

The Sky drew a sell-out assemblage contempt the Chicago Bears hosting the rival Green Bay Packers conscionable down the thoroughfare astatine Soldier Field. Chance the Rapper was erstwhile again successful attendance to enactment his hometown team.

TIP-INS

Chicago manager James Wade became the 3rd Black antheral manager to triumph a WNBA championship, joining Michael Cooper who did it with the Los Angeles Sparks and Corey Gaines, who did it with Phoenix. … Phoenix had been 4-0 successful the WNBA Finals aft losses until Sunday’s defeat.