Chicago Sky Offseason Update #28: In the Home Stretch
Tired legs hit the Sky's backcourt duo while Mersin reach the KBSL final and Beşiktaş turn their attention back to Europe.
Compared to traditional powers like Fenerbahçe (women’s team founded in 1954), Beşiktaş (1956) and Galatasaray (1954), Çukurova Basketbol are relatively new players on the scene—having played their first season as recently as 2017. Yet, after clinching their second consecutive trip to the EuroLeague Final Four in March, it’s become clear that Mersin have not just arrived but are planning to make themselves comfortable at the table with the European basketball elite. One hurdle that’s yet to be cleared? Winning the domestic league—with Mersin losing the final to Fener three times in the last four seasons. And while a tepid regular season left Mersin with a lot of work to do in this year’s playoffs, Marina Mabrey, Elizabeth Williams and company showed that their seeding was not a reflection of their quality with a dominant first-round sweep over third-seeded Ormanspor. To continue on the path to their maiden title, Mersin would next have to dispatch of second-seed Beşiktaş—led by Dana Evans—in the semifinal. Let’s dive into how Mersin continued their title quest in the offseason’s final head-to-head meeting of Sky players, look ahead to Evans and Beşiktaş’ next objective and check in with the other Chicago stars in offseason action.
This Week’s Biggest Stories
1. Williams, Mabrey + Mersin Roll on to Much Anticipated Fener Final
It’s been no secret that, in recent weeks, Dana Evans’ efficiency has started to fall off—with tired legs the most likely cause of her 37% FG and 26% 3PT in March. In a similar vein, Marina Mabrey shot 31% from the floor and 21% from three in Mersin’s first-round series against Ormanspor—meaning the Sky backcourt’s efficiency would be key to their respective teams’ success in the semi-finals. In Game 1, it was Mersin who won 77-67 but neither guard was able to shake their slump with Evans’ efficiency (6/17) narrowly besting that of Mabrey (3/21). Elizabeth Williams, to the contrary, continued to deliver at a high level and finished as the game’s second leading scorer with 23 points on 10/14 FG plus 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. A big key to her success was the willingness of Mabrey (9 a) and Kahleah Copper (6 a) to create for others—especially in the pick-and-roll. On a number of occasions, Williams caught the ball with momentum towards the basket—effectively exploiting the athletic advantages she has against Beşiktaş’ Li Yueru. Beşiktaş hung in the game well—with Mersin never able to fully slam the door shut—but it seemed they lacked the coordinated offense the visitors had. While Beşiktaş’ aggressiveness got them to the line at a great rate (21/25 FT), too many of their offensive sets resulted in forced shots—with Mersin’s defensive disruptiveness no doubt playing a role in their poor shot selection.
In Game 2, Mabrey again came close to a triple-double (19 p, 8 a, 7r in 28 mins) and shook her shooting slump (7/14 FG and 4/8 3 PT), but the same could not be said for Evans (6/16 FG, 2/7 3PT) who also suffered from a lack of support on offense. With Jovana Nogić ice cold (0/8 3PT) and Li Yueru leaving early in the second quarter due to injury, Beşiktaş simply didn’t have the quality needed to keep pace with Mersin. Exceptional performances from Mersin’s supporting cast—especially Sinem Ataş (21 p, 5/7 3PT)—allowed the hosts to maintain the advantage they built early and eventually give some well deserved rest to Mabrey, Williams (23 mins) and Copper (22). While the final against Fenerbahçe will be challenging, Mersin will be the more rested team with at least 6 days between their close out victory on 3/29 and the soonest possible start of the final (Fener play Game 2 of their semifinal on Tuesday).
On court, there’s several keys to stopping Fener but the biggest one for Mersin is limiting Napheesa Collier. While Williams’ defensive presence can somewhat limit Emma Meesseman, María Araújo, Quanitra Hollingsworth and a few others will be tasked with slowing down the Lynx forward. While Copper can (and did last season in the W) take that match-up in stretches, it’s probably not in Mersin’s best interest to use her energy banging in the post for the entire 40 minutes. That said, don’t be surprised if Mersin go small at times to try and show Fener—who remain unbeaten domestically—something different and get them out of rhythm. These two teams will also meet in a EuroLeague semifinal on April 12th—though the two match-ups should be very different as Mersin’s EuroLeague roster includes a handful of different players.
2. Evans & Beşiktaş Turn Focus to EuroCup Final
Beşiktaş now have the tall task of quickly finding their form on the practice court before they host Game 1 of the two-leg EuroCup Final against London Lions on Wednesday. Yueru’s health (though unclear at this time) is obviously one key, but Beşiktaş will also need an uptick in form from both Evans and Nogić if they hope to lift the EuroCup for the first time. Nogić caught fire in the first round of the KBSL playoffs (57% 3PT) but, like Evans, has otherwise struggled to find her rhythm in March (25% 3PT in 7 other games). These slumps are the longest the duo has endured this season, but they’re not the first ones. And one thing has helped them shake their past slumps: defense.
Evans’ ability to apply pressure at the point of attack is known and, because of her size, Nogić has the length needed to be disruptive in the passing lanes. If we flash back to December, Beşiktaş trailed by 10 after the opening game of the Round of 32 against Žabiny Brno where Evans and Nogić shot a combined 11/29. In the second leg, their defense and intensity helped them grab 14 steals, force 21 turnovers and win by 20 to flip the aggregate scoreline in their favor. Tired legs may be contributing to some poor shooting performances, but there’s no doubt that Evans has the stamina to push through fatigue on the defensive end. Bringing that same type of disruptiveness in both legs of the Final will be key to Beşiktaş having a chance—with those turnovers creating vital opportunities for easy scores at the other end.
3. Koné Excels in Return to Starting Five
Making her first start in several weeks Thursday, Sika Koné dominated the opening quarter with 6 points on 3/3 FG and 6 rebounds as Avenida raced to a 17-7 lead that they would not relinquish in a critical 61-44 win over second-place Valencia. The win left Avenida, who entered the game ahead by tiebreak, alone at the top of the Spanish table though Koné, again, fell victim to inconsistent rotations—with her role heavily diminished (only 8 mins) after the first quarter. In Sunday’s game away at Araski, Koné drew the start again and got a more expansive role (27 mins) which allowed her to lead the way with 24 points on 8/11 FG along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Teammates did well to find her in the post and, once she got the ball down low, she was undeniable—scoring or getting to the line (8/10 FT) with regularity. Even when the ball wasn’t coming direct to her, Sika found a way to get involved with 5 offensive boards—again showcasing why she’s the MVP frontrunner in the Spanish League. Crucially, Avenida’s win over Araski leaves them a game clear at the top of the standings with just three regular season games remaining. With Avenida, Valencia and Zaragoza the clear top three in Spain, avoiding a match-up with either in the semifinals would be a massive boost to Avenida’s hopes of winning the title.
Quick Hits
Robyn Parks and Schio got a tough test from visitors Ragusa in the first half on Saturday, but the hosts were able to pull away after half with a strong defensive performance (23 second-half points allowed) ending in a 76-60 win. Parks was key to the stout defense (+20 +/-) while finishing with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
As always, you can find the best site to stream all of the different leagues the Sky players are involved in live + the full schedule of games over the coming week in this article which is updated on a regular basis.