Angel Reese's Coach Blames 'Self-Inflicted Wounds' for Chicago Sky Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 9:27 AM ET

While it seemed like the Chicago Sky were finally starting to click — beating the Connecticut Sun during Sunday's game behind Angel Reese's triple-double — they returned to their bad habits and suffered another loss on Tuesday.

Against the Washington Mystics, the Sky blew a 16-point lead and ended up losing 79-72. Reese had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but she also committed seven turnovers.

Kamilla Cardoso also finished with a double-double, tallying 18 points and 10 boards, while Ariel Atkins scored 10. However, the Sky had no answer for Brittney Sykes, who exploded for 32 points for the Mystics.

Chicago appeared to be en route to a blowout win after taking a 26-11 lead in the opening quarter, but a horrible second half, highlighted by a 12-point showing in the third quarter, doomed them.

Speaking to reporters postgame, Sky coach Tyler Marsh talked about their third-quarter performance and pointed to "self-inflicted wounds" as the biggest reason for their poor play.

Chicago had nine turnovers during the period and attempted just 12 shots as a team.

"They extended their pressure and we didn't handle it well," Marsh said of the third quarter, per reporter Karli Bell. "It really comes down to that."

He added, "Throughout and after the game, a lot of our mistakes are on us. You can still maintain confidence that a lot of it has to deal with self-inflicted wounds."

It's certainly a concerning display from the Sky. Making matters worse, it has been a common theme for the squad this season.

The Sky are the worst offensive WNBA team in the third quarter this 2025. In 11 games played, they are averaging only 17.7 points in that quarter.

While Chicago showed some progress in their previous game against the Sun — where they dropped 21 points in the third quarter — the loss to the Mystics made it clear they still have a lot of work to do to solve the issue.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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