Jovana Nogić scored 27 and Phoenix made 37 free throws to beat Chicago 91-83. Rickea Jackson led the Sky with 29 in the loss.
The Phoenix Mercury shot just 38.7% from the field and won anyway. Jovana Nogić scored 27 points and the Mercury beat the Chicago Sky 91-83 on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Alyssa Thomas posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kahleah Copper also scored 17 but made just 3 of her 16 shots. Natasha Mack added 10 points and blocked 4 shots. DeWanna Bonner had 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Nogić shot 6-of-11 from the field and made 5 of her 8 three-point attempts. She also missed just one of her 11 free throws. No other player made more than four three-pointers.
Chicago kept sending Phoenix to the foul line. The Mercury shot 41 free throws and made 37. The Sky managed 19.
The Mercury controlled the boards. They outrebounded Chicago 40-27 and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to the Sky's 6. Phoenix improved to 2-2.
Rickea Jackson led Chicago with 29 points but shot 10-of-22 from the field. She also blocked 3 shots. Gabriela Jaquez scored 13. Natasha Cloud had 7 points and 7 assists off the bench.
Only two Chicago players reached double figures. The Sky made just 6 of their 22 three-point attempts and fell to 2-1.
Chicago hung around for a quarter. The Sky led briefly and tied the game four times before Phoenix took over. The Mercury led 45-35 at the break and built the lead to 17. Chicago never got back into it. A late push cut the final margin to eight.
Chicago shot 42.6% from the field, better than Phoenix did, and outscored the Mercury 38-32 in the paint. It still committed 30 fouls and lost by eight.
Kamilla Cardoso finished with 7 points and 8 rebounds. Jacy Sheldon scored 8, and Aicha Coulibaly added 8 off the bench. Skylar Diggins missed all five of her shots and did not score.
Phoenix played without Sami Whitcomb (left knee), Ciezki, and Suárez.
Chicago was without DiJonai Carrington (left foot), Azura Stevens (left knee), Courtney Vandersloot (right knee), and Westbeld.
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