Arlington Tx – If Dallas Wings center Liz Cambage grew tired Tuesday night – the crowd couldn’t tell. Cambage dominated the Chicago Sky from start to finish, scoring a career high 37 points, as the Wings routed the Sky 108 – 85.
Coming off of the Sunday night loss to Minnesota, the Wings were determined to rebound against a struggling Chicago team. The Sky, in desperate need of a win – played very aggressive team ball to start the game and never let the first half score get out of hand. The biggest lead for both teams was only five points.
Chicago forward Diamond DeShields scored 15 first half points on five of nine shooting. She was definitely the aggressor for the Sky and is to be credited for keeping her team competitive. Allie Quigley contributed 10 points for the Sky, nailing half of her attempts.
The Wings star point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith did not attempt a single shot in the first half, but her presence was definitely felt.
“She (Diggins-Smith) was really getting a feel for the game in the first half,” said Coach Fred Williams. “She kept her teammates involved and was then able to run some patterns in the second half.”
While Diggins-Smith was very quiet in the first half, Cambage was well on her way to a career night. At the half Cambage had already scored 21 points and pulled down five rebounds.
Veteran Glory Johnson returned to the starting lineup Tuesday night and had a stellar first half. Her nine points in just under 15 minutes of play kept things interesting for the Wings on offense. Dallas had several offensive contributions in the first half, overshadowing the absence of a Diggins-Smith shot attempt, however, their lead was only 51 – 49 at halftime.
The second half was a very different story for Diggins-Smith. She attempted 12 shots and made eight – three from long range. Cambage wasn’t done either. The long and very quick center scored seven times on eight second half shot attempts and posted another 16 points.
“I think she’s learning how to position herself more,” added Williams about Cambage. “Each game she gets better.”
Cambage celebrated her first 30-point night as a WNBA player. Diggins-Smith’s second half efforts made for her seventh 20 point game of the season. The Wings’ 26 team assists are the most assists for the team thus far this season.
With the victory, Dallas is now 8 – 8 and looking to add another victory against Indiana on Thursday.
