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UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot played her first year in the WNBA at age 22 in 2011, the exact calendar year that Sheryl Swoopes completed her Hall of Fame occupation at age 40. On Tuesday night, the two crossed paths yet again, this time in the file books.
Vandersloot had a triple-double in the Sky’s 101-95 double-time beyond regulation victory from the Connecticut Sunshine in their finest-of-five semifinal collection opener at Mohegan Sunlight Arena, signing up for Swoopes as the only gamers to accomplish the feat in WNBA playoff historical past. Swoopes had the to start with triple-double in the WNBA playoffs, in 2005.
Vandersloot’s triple-double integrated a playoff-file 18 helps — which also matched her WNBA solitary-match document — and a own-most effective 10 rebounds. She tallied 12 points, 4 steals and two blocked photographs, as properly.
Swoopes had 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 helps for the Houston Comets in a victory that clinched the Japanese Convention semifinal collection towards the Seattle Storm in September 2005.
“You know, she’s elite,” Vandersloot claimed of Swoopes, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer who received 4 WNBA titles with Houston. “To be with that business, that is distinctive. And to do it in the playoffs. I necessary 50 minutes to do it, though.”
Swoopes’ playoff triple-double was in regulation, and she performed 35 minutes, 50 seconds. Vandersloot truly was not in the complete 50 minutes on Tuesday she performed 44 minutes, 23 seconds. Swoopes was 34 when she experienced her triple-double Vandersloot is 32.
Vandersloot led the WNBA in assists per activity for the fifth yr in a row this period and for the sixth year in general. She underplayed her stellar effectiveness on Tuesday, saying she was “just accomplishing my task.”
But teammate Candance Parker, who led the Sky with 22 points, was impressed. This is Parker’s first period actively playing along with Vandersloot soon after signing with Chicago as a totally free agent.
“I feel Sloot’s humble,” Parker explained. “But it’s exceptional to do what she did. Protect, rebound, appear down and facilitate beneath force. I think sometimes we get spoiled because we see it all the time, the plays she will make. It genuinely has been exciting for me just to enjoy the way she thinks the recreation and the way she’s normally two performs in advance.”
It was just the 2nd reduction for the top rated-seeded Sunshine considering that July 3 the other defeat came in the Commissioner’s Cup remaining on Aug. 12.
The No. 6 Sky arrived in an underdog as significantly as seeding, but they looked each and every little bit as fantastic as the Sun on Tuesday. And for Vandersloot, it was a historic efficiency on top of a pretty significant get for Chicago to go up 1-.
Chicago mentor James Wade known as it “just one of the ideal issue guard online games in playoff historical past,” adding, “I’m not stunned simply because this is what she does.”
Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner agreed.
“Sloot played a hell of a sport,” she claimed.
The Sky have designed the WNBA Finals after, in 2014, and Vandersloot was on that staff. The No. 3 pick in 2011 out of Gonzaga has expended her overall vocation with the Sky. Her following purpose will be striving to disrupt the Connecticut defense yet again in Video game 2 on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
The Sunlight led the WNBA in defense this period, keeping foes to just beneath 70 details in the regular time.
“We have to make Sloot a little far more not comfortable,” Connecticut ahead Jonquel Jones stated of the Sun’s activity in Match 2. “She picked us apart these days. She’s a actually smart player.”
