The Sky are far from complete.
On Saturday against the Sun, it was late-game execution and poor rebounding that did them in. On Tuesday, 22 turnovers were the main culprit in their 77-68 loss to the Storm at Wintrust Arena.
‘‘[Turnovers] were a combination [of factors],’’ Sky center Elizabeth Williams said. ‘‘Some of it was indecision. When you’re indecisive and you’re not aggressive, good things don’t typically happen. For us, it’s just playing with confidence, learning each other and being a little bit more decisive.’’
The Sky (2-3) went into the fourth quarter trailing by 12 points. Three minutes into the quarter, that deficit had ballooned to 18.
A late-game surge fueled by their defense got the Sky as close as five, but poor late-game execution enabled the Storm to close it out.
The Storm appear to be coming together, while the Sky clearly are still figuring things out.
‘‘Chemistry is part of [successful late-game execution],’’ Williams said. ‘‘But the other part of it is just going back to the principles that coach [Teresa Weatherspoon] instills in us.’’
After shootaround, Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike talked about her team slowly finding its cohesiveness. Starting the season with five of their first seven games on the road helps those efforts, she said.
Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Storm with 21 points, and former Niles West star Jewell Loyd added 19. Ezi Magbegor had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Ogwumike had 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
The Storm disrupted the Sky’s offensive sets, getting into passing lanes and taking away shots at the rim with eight blocks. They forced 22 turnovers — many on entry passes to the post — that they converted into 21 points.
The Sky attributed their loss Saturday in part to allowing the Sun’s defense to get set. They again failed to respond to the Storm mucking up the game, preventing them from pushing the pace.
‘‘We’re Chicago,’’ guard Chennedy Carter said. ‘‘We’re small. We’re quick. That’s an easy way for us to score, so we’ve got to get into transition a little bit more.’’
Forward Isabelle Harrison played against the Storm after missing the Sky’s first four games with a knee injury. She said earlier in the week that her absence was more of a protective measure after having surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus in her left knee. Harrison played 10 minutes and finished with two points and five rebounds.
The Sky’s roster is expected to be complete Saturday against the Fever, with rookie Kamilla Cardoso’s likely returning to play after a shoulder injury.
‘‘When you’re talking about Kamilla, she’s different,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘She can play many different ways. We’ll have an opportunity to have different offensive sets because she’s part of it.’’
Guard Dana Evans led the Sky with 13 points, and Williams and Carter had 12 apiece. Rookie Angel Reese finished with her first double-double in the WNBA, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Marina Mabrey, who was averaging a team-leading 19.3 points entering the game, was limited to seven.
‘‘They’re a very good team [in terms] of loading, harassing,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘Marina had someone on her every move she made. That’s an adjustment we have to make, to shake Marina loose.’’
