WASHINGTON — The sight of a Mystic putback layup was too frequent Tuesday night at CareFirst Arena, as Washington used a dominant 22-3 advantage in second-chance points to soundly defeat the reeling-from-injury Chicago Sky 90-72 in the Commissioner’s Cup opener for both teams.
Michaela Onyenwere had two putbacks—one that tied it at seven and another that turned into a three-point play for a 52-43 DC advantage early in the third quarter. Angela Dugalić had a putback of her own in the first quarter, Cass Prosper added another that made it 41-31 Mystics and Shakira Austin had one just after the midway point of the fourth to make it a 22-point lead, Washington’s largest of the evening. Duglaić wrapped up the evening of put-backs in garbage time.
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Chicago won blocks 10-2, with a career-best six coming from Kamilla Cardoso, but they couldn’t finish enough defensive possessions with rebounds for it to matter. For example, Kiki Iriafen had her shot blocked by Elizabeth Williams at 1:01 remaining in the third quarter only to collect the rebound and score on a layup that made it 70-55 Mystics.
Likewise, Azurá Stevens blocked Lauren Betts, but Betts got the rebound and wound up scoring 13 seconds later to make it 76-58. Washington recorded 17 offensive boards in total, compared to the Sky’s five.
There were other issues for Chicago.
In a matchup between the two worst 3-point shooting teams in the WNBA, the paint was going to be key, and the Sky lost paint points by eight. They also turned the ball over 19 times after entering the game third-best in the league with just 11 miscues per contest. They lost points off turnovers by 10. Then, there was the free throw disparity, which head coach Tyler Marsh felt was unfair; the Mystics doubled Chicago in attempts and makes, leading to 10 more points at the stripe.
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Ultimately, the Sky just couldn’t remain competitive in the second half as the game slipped away. Despite lacking a momentum-swinging 3-point outburst, as Sonia Citron, most likely to provide such an outburst, was sitting with a foot injury, the Mystics’ second-chance feast propelled them to what was a much-needed win from their perspective, as they had started 0-2 at home and 3-4 overall in what is supposed to be a good season for them.
Both teams really needed the win, as Chicago (3-6) has now lost five in a row since it was announced that leading scorer Rickea Jackson would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. They also have to deal with the fact that DiJonai Carrington and Courtney Vandersloot have yet to suit up, while key rookie contributor Gabriela Jaquez missed her third-straight game with a knee injury.
The sky was falling in Chicago when they traded away Angel Reese and appeared destined to wallow in the basement like last year. Some hope was restored with the addition of Jackson via trade. Plus, Skylar Diggins, Natasha Cloud, Stevens and Carrington joined via free agency.
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But most people still didn’t believe in the Sky until they saw the results on the court, which came in the form of a 3-1 start over which Jackson averaged 22 points in the three games she finished. Chicago even beat really good teams in the Lynx (now 7-2) and Valkyries (6-3) over that stretch. The other win came over a team that many may be hesitant to anoint, but that also has a winning record in the Fire (6-5).
All this is why the current five-game losing streak is so frustrating. The Sky know what they had in Jackson and now it’s all slipping away. But not all hope is lost, as there is a long season ahead.
Marsh was asked point blank, “How are you feeling after this?” Here’s his response:
Frustrated. Frustrated like the rest of the locker room. But I got a job to do, I gotta go back to the drawing board and figure out how to fix some of our woes right now. And that’s all you can do in these types of moments. We’re not the only team going through it right now. We’re nine games in. We can’t keep letting nights like this slip away from us. … We’re trying to continue to build good habits that don’t slip away from us as the games go on. That’s my job, and I’m gonna get back to it.
Kamilla Cardoso’s all-around effort should give the Sky a sense of hope
Through 80 career games, Cardoso averaged 12 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.4 steals.
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In game No. 81 on Tuesday night, she outdid herself nearly across the board, with 12 points, 13 boards, five helpers, six rejections and one swipe. It was quite the performance, despite it coming in a loss. As mentioned, the blocks were a career-high. Meanwhile, the assists were one off her career-best, and the rebounds were two shy.
Cardoso scored all of her points in the first half. After the game, Sky rookie guard Sydney Taylor expressed that she felt her teammate should have had an even bigger night:
(In the second half we were) focused on other things and maybe just not focused on “Kamilla is dominating in the post, so we need to feed her the ball every time.” Well, not every time, but whenever we see her open, almost every time. She’s a beast down there, she’s a killer down there, not many people can stop her down there, and we need to take advantage of that more.
Here’s what Marsh had to say about Cardoso’s performance:
First half I thought she had it going a little bit. It became a little bit tougher, we weren’t able to take care of the ball enough in the second half. I thought Mill gave good energy for the majority of the minutes that she was out there. Still, another game not getting to the free throw line. It’s not her fault. But it’s tough. At halftime I think there were six fouls called on our post players and zero called on theirs.
Watch out for fearless Sky scorer Sydney Taylor
Tuesday morning, our Eric Nemchock tabbed Taylor as a player to add in Fantasy. At night, she may not have blown us away with 27 points again, but 15 is pretty impressive and marked the second-highest scoring output of her improbable WNBA career.
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The 24-year-old went undrafted out of Louisville after spending most of her college career at a mid-major in UMass, yet made Chicago’s final roster over 2025 first-round pick Hailey Van Lith and a handful of other drafted players. In the Sky’s sixth game of the season (and second full one without Jackson), she saw over 10 minutes of playing time for the first time with 20 and cashed in on 11 points. Then came the 27-point announcement of legitimacy and a seven-point, four-assist outing after that.
On Tuesday, she was looking to score, and showed off her explosiveness and good shooting form, though it hasn’t led to great efficiency so far in the W. She also flashed her defensive skills with four steals.
Just as Eric talked about, she is an aggressive, and truly fearless, offensive player.
Here’s what she said when it was pointed out to her that she’s showing no hesitation out there:
For sure, I think (the Sky) need me to be aggressive any time I step on the floor. On the defensive end, on the offensive end. I think my aggression and my physicality is something my team needs from me.
And here’s what she said about her unexpected contributions and the attention she’s drawn so far this season:
It’s been good. A little bit overwhelming, but nothing I’m not ready for. No shock to me at all, to myself. I knew I had this in me for the past couple years. Just waiting for the right opportunity. And I took the opportunity, and I ran with it. And I’m grateful for it right now. I’m grateful I can develop into a good role player for this team and do what they need me to do.
She’s 8-for-39 (20.5 percent) from distance so far, but shot 38.5 percent with 104 makes as a senior at UMass. She’s well aware that her 3-pointers aren’t falling at an acceptable clip right now, offering:
Right now, I’m a little bit in my head with my shot. I haven’t been shooting the ball well. … My 3-point percentage right now is terrible. I need to work, I need to get in the gym, stay in the gym. … I think I’m getting some decent looks, but they’re just not dropping right now. But I know they will, so keep shooting.
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No “Cloud 9” vibe for Natasha Cloud in DC homecoming
I hate to point it out because nobody in attendance wanted to see it, but, save for three assists, Cloud was held to goose eggs across the board on 0-for-4 shooting in 24 minutes before fouling out. She also had four turnovers in her first 2026 game in a city where she will always be beloved for both her play as a Mystic and her voice in the social justice movement.
It’s also not often you’ll see Diggins held to just one assist, but she did notch a solid 14 points and was 2-for-2 from 3.
Tash had 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds on 7-for-8 shooting (2-for-3 from deep) just two games ago, so there’s no reason to be worried.
