The Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 74-69 (yep, you read that right) in a fiercely fought preseason game at home at the Wintrust Arena Tuesday night. The game was the team's first preseason match-up against a WNBA team, and it was clear the Sky had no interest in anything but victory. Rookie Hailey Van Lith had a strong showing for Chicago, further cementing her status as an important member of the team.
Ahead of the game Coach Tyler Marsh told reporters he planned to give Van Lith — who is a back-up point guard for veteran Courtney Vandersloot — more minutes off the bench. Marsh came through, and Van Lith played 17 minutes that included 5 assists and a converted three that Angel Reese later shared on Instagram.
Vandersloot also had praise for Van Lith, who she described as a "sponge" in a postgame press conference. "She's listened to everything I say," Vandersloot added. "I think the best part of of it is that we can compete in practice. We're going to make each other better. She plays me hard, and she's going to make me better—Just as much as I'm going to try and make her better."
The Chicago Sky didn't back down against the Lynx
Vandersloot had a strong performance of her own with 11 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds while shooting five-of-seven from the field. It's clear Vandersloot has been taking care of her body and working on her game in the offseason — she played like the team is already weeks into the midseason and helped her team expose the holes in the Lynx's defense, which is not easy to do.
Vandersloot could, and should, develop a stronger relationship with Kamilla Cardoso, who can only grow with a talented point guard on the floor alongside her. Vandersloot found Cardoso time and time again last night no matter where the second-year center was on the floor, allowing the former South Carolina Gamecock to get into the double figures early in the game.
The preseason has made a strong case for Tyler Marsh
Though plenty of Sky fans were distraught after Teresa Weatherspoon was fired as head coach at the conclusion of last season — and plenty of fans were skeptical when the team gave up their No. 3 overall draft pick ahead of the draft this year — Tyler Marsh has so far demonstrated he's in exactly the position he's meant to be in right now.