As the final seconds ticked down in the Sky’s 78-69 victory Wednesday against the Dream, there was a commotion on the court.
The Sky (9-12) were in no danger of giving up their seven-point lead with six seconds left, but Wintrust Arena was abuzz with the kind of urgency generally reserved for a one-possession game.
It appeared as though guard Chennedy Carter would dribble out the clock until it occurred to her — in part because of the fans’ uproar — that rookie forward Angel Reese needed one more point to get her 14th consecutive double-double.
So Carter did what any good teammate would do and dumped the ball off to Reese in the post. She was fouled by Dream center Tina Charles and kept her streak alive by making two free throws.
‘‘You saw her teammates wanting her to get it, wanting her to keep [the streak] alive,’’ Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. ‘‘For me, that’s a beautiful thing to see. There’s a lot of love from her teammates.’’
Reese broke the WNBA record for most consecutive double-doubles, previously held by Candace Parker, in the Sky’s loss Sunday to the Storm. After finishing with 11 points and 13 rebounds against the Dream, she’ll have an opportunity to extend the streak again Thursday against the Liberty in New York.
Carter led the Sky with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds, but the bench played a critical role in the victory, too.
Weatherspoon’s rotations have fluctuated all season. Her starting five changed in Week 5, and she hasn’t deployed a consistent bench unit since. On Sunday, she left rookie center Kamilla Cardoso — who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday — on the bench despite her having six points and eight rebounds in the first half.
The decision was so curious that even Storm coach Noelle Quinn noted it after the game, crediting her team’s victory in part to Cardoso’s absence.
Against the Dream, Weatherspoon once again shook things up. This time, she favored Michaela Onyenwere over Diamond DeShields for the secondary backcourt minutes and attributed her evolving rotations to finding the right mix of energy.
After not playing in the Sky’s previous four games, Onyenwere finished with seven points, two assists and two rebounds in 11 minutes. Dana Evans added nine points, three assists and two
rebounds in 17 minutes, and the Sky’s bench outscored the Dream’s reserves 24-22.
‘‘I’m always going to stay prepared and stay ready for the moment,’’ Onyenwere said. ‘‘So when these moments do happen, I’m not surprised.’’
The Liberty selected Onyenwere with the sixth overall pick of the 2021 draft. She has been traded twice since, first to the Mercury in 2023 and then to the Sky in the blockbuster deal that sent 2021 WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper to Phoenix in February.
Onyenwere has played a limited role this season, with Weatherspoon generally favoring DeShields in her second unit behind Carter and Marina Mabrey. On Wednesday, however, Weatherspoon commended Onyenwere’s preparedness.
‘‘She’s never not working hard,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘Every day she’s in early. She gets her work in with [assistant coach] Ty Young, and they go very hard. She trusts her training and her work, so when she gets out there she believes that she can get it done.’’
The victory moved the Sky into seventh place in the WNBA standings. More significant for playoff purposes, it gave them a 2-1 advantage in the season series against the Dream in the first tiebreaker. The teams will play one more time in September.