Sky vs. Valkyries: Sydney Taylor Hits Game-Winning 3 With 1.6 Seconds Left as Chicago Survives 73-70

Sydney Taylor had the ball, a tie game and the whole of Wintrust Arena holding its breath, and she was in no hurry at all. On Friday night she let the clock tick toward zero, created a sliver of room on Veronica Burton with a side-step and drilled a 24-foot 3 with 1.6 seconds showing.

That shot gave the Sky a 73-70 win over the Golden State Valkyries and rescued Chicago from what would have been one of the ugliest collapses of the season. The Sky led by as many as 21 points, watched the Valkyries wipe out every bit of it, and still walked off with their third straight win, which the AP noted is a season high.

From Laugher to Thriller

For one half, this had blowout written all over it. Chicago ripped off an 11-0 run in the first quarter to go up 17-4, and after Golden State answered with eight straight, the Sky dropped the hammer with a 14-0 run early in the second that made it 31-12. Chicago led 38-26 at the break, and the Valkyries looked like a team that had left its legs in San Francisco after Wednesday's home loss to Minnesota.

The first sign of life came before halftime. Down 37-16, Golden State ripped off 10 unanswered points late in the second quarter. Then the Valkyries turned the third quarter into their own personal highlight package, winning it 25-11. An 8-0 run sliced a 46-34 deficit to four, and a 9-0 burst late in the period turned a 48-42 hole into a 51-48 lead. After trailing by 21, Golden State took a 51-49 edge into the fourth.

The final 10 minutes were a street fight. Courtney Vandersloot's jumper put Chicago up 65-61 with 4:59 left, and then nobody scored for more than two and a half minutes. Janelle Salaun broke the drought with two free throws, Tiffany Hayes tied it on a driving layup, and Kaitlyn Chen let fly from 33 feet and buried it for a 68-65 Golden State lead with 1:12 left. Natasha Cloud got two back at the line, Chen scored again in the paint, and the Valkyries led 70-67 with 46.3 seconds to go.

Taylor answered with a straightaway 3 at the 34.4-second mark. Chen's floater on the next trip came up empty, per the AP, and Chicago had the final possession. You know the rest.

Taylor Closes, Cloud Can't Miss

Taylor finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 6 from deep, and both of her late 3s came with the game hanging in the balance. Her plus-15 was the best on the floor.

Cloud was the steadiest force in the building. She went a perfect 5 of 5 from 3-point range, led Chicago with 17 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. Kamilla Cardoso posted 14 points and 10 rebounds, though she left some points at the line by going 6 of 11. Vandersloot scored 12 with five assists, and Azura Stevens grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots.

Golden State's best story came off the bench. Laeticia Amihere went 7 for 7 from the field for 16 points, a career high according to the AP, and added six rebounds. Salaun scored 13 and Hayes added 10 with seven rebounds and four assists. Burton scored 11 and was the only Valkyries starter in double figures.

That last detail tells you how strange this game was. Golden State's bench outscored its starters 51-19. Part of that was Gabby Williams, the team's All-Star, who left about two and a half minutes into the second half and did not return, per the AP. She finished with two points on 0-of-6 shooting in 14 minutes.

The Turning Point

Chen's missed floater right after Taylor's tying 3. Golden State had just watched a three-point lead disappear, but it still had the ball, the momentum from a 25-11 third quarter and a chance to go back in front. The miss handed Chicago the last shot of the night, and Taylor didn't waste it. In a game with four lead changes and two enormous runs, it came down to one possession, and the Sky made theirs count.

Stats That Matter

• 14 of 30 vs. 5 of 22: Chicago's 3-point shooting against Golden State's. Nine extra 3s covers a lot of sins.
• 5 of 5: Cloud from beyond the arc.
• 34-18: Golden State's advantage in paint points. The Valkyries owned the inside and lost anyway.
• 38-31: Golden State's rebounding edge.
• 51-19: Valkyries bench points against starter points.

What It Means

Chicago improves to 15-22 and 10-9 at home, and our recount of the schedule confirms the three-game winning streak is the Sky's longest of the season. It also clinched the season series against Golden State 2-1 in the third and final meeting. The bigger picture is less rosy. Per the AP, Chicago has only seven games to play and trails Dallas by six games in the race for the last of the eight playoff berths. The Sky host Indiana on Sunday.

Golden State falls to 25-11 and 10-6 on the road with its second straight loss, both coming right after a six-game winning streak. According to the AP, the Valkyries still hold second place, with Las Vegas one game back and Indiana 1 1/2 games behind. Next up is a trip to Minnesota on Monday, a rematch with the team that beat them on Wednesday.

Closing Take

Chicago basically ran an Ocean's Eleven script: lose the whole bag in Act 2, then stroll out the front door with it in the final scene. A 21-point cushion vanished, Taylor's 3 with 1.6 seconds left bailed everybody out, and the Sky walked off with a third straight win, their longest run of the season so far.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press.