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Chicago Sky Coach Makes Hailey Van Lith Statement After Indiana Fever Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Levi M. Dombro | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 1:05 AM ET

The Chicago Sky lost Saturday's contest against the Indiana Fever, dropping them to 2-5 during the 2025 WNBA season. They are now 0-1 in the Commissioner's Cup and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen each chipped in a team-high eight points for Chicago in the loss. 2023 WNBA Second-Team All-Defensive selection Elizabeth Williams also scored seven points and brought down three rebounds for the Sky.

Veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury, according to the Sky. Rookie guard Hailey Van Lith played a career-high 26 minutes in her place and contributed a career-best seven points off the bench.

With Vandersloot's long-term outlook currently unknown, the Sky may need to lean on Van Lith for more minutes. She was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and is averaging 3.4 points, 1.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game this season.

Head coach Tyler Marsh spoke after the game about Van Lith's performance in Saturday night's 79 to 52 loss against the Fever.

"I thought she was solid. Still got to watch the tape, there's obviously some areas of improvement that we can work on," Marsh said. "I thought that she was put in a tough position. To have to not just steer the ship but she had to provide some extremely valuable minutes in a tough situation. I thought she handled it as well as she could."

2024 WNBA All-Star Angel Reese contributed just four points in the loss to Indiana, shooting 2-for-7 from the field. She also grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out two assists in 27 minutes.

The Sky will hit the road for their next contest against the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty. Chicago lost to the Liberty at home on May 22 by a score of 99 to 74.

New York is 8-0 to start off the 2025 WNBA season and are averaging a league-high 91.1 points per contest. The game is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. EST at the Barclays Center on Tuesday.

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

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