Arlington, Tex. – A career-high 37 points from center Liz Cambage paced the Dallas Wings past the Chicago Sky Tuesday, 108-85.
Skylar Diggins-Smith added 20 points – 18 of which she scored in the third quarter – to cap a night where Dallas put up a season-high 60 points in the paint, due to damage by Cambage.
“I was just happy to get the win. We were hungry for a win,” Cambage said. “We were a bit slow defensively, then we stepped it up in the second half.”
Every active player contributed points for the Wings, who put up a good defensive front as a unit after appearing lethargic in first quarter. Coach Fred Williams said the team made adjustments at halftime.
“Chicago has some fine shooters,” he said. “They can shoot the basketball and get it in. Our thing is to just get the ball off the rim and get us some fast break points. We wanted to change that in halftime and change that so we could start getting some runs.”
Dallas has played very differently in game halves throughout the season, which has put them 8-8 on the year. The game against the Sky followed suit, with Cambage and Diggins-Smith taking turns stepping up. The team dished out a season-high 26 assists.
Cambage was injured in the Wings’ game Sunday, and had been listed as “probable” for Tuesday’s match up. Diggins-Smith said her performance was the difference in the game.
“Liz got it going,” Diggins-Smith said. “We got contributions from the bench and the ball movement, with me penetrating (to the basket).”
The Sky were led by rookie Diamond DeShields’ 20 points, while Allie Quigley added 18.
Although Dallas was up by double digits in the fourth quarter, Williams did not pull his starters until late, for the threat of the Sky’s ability to put up points fast as the best three-point shooting team in the league. Quigley said her team was unable to successfully defend Cambage in the paint.
“I think we just have to watch the film and be a better defensive team. Our offense isn’t the problem, it is the defense,” Quigley said. “We have to learn from this, but we have another game coming up. A loss by 30 or a loss by one, a loss is a loss.”
It was a melancholy site toward the end of the game with just over a minute left to play, when Chicago guard Jamierra Faulkner went down with an apparent knee injury, and had to be wheeled off of the court.
The Wings finish up their three-game homestand Thursday, against Indiana, while the Sky head west to face the Las Vegas Aces.