Angel Reese finished with 13 points, five rebounds and two steals in the Sky’s win over the Liberty Tuesday.
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Tuesday marked a number of firsts for the Sky.
It was the first time Teresa Weatherspoon took the court as their coach, the first time rookie Angel Reese played in front of her new home crowd and the first time fans saw their new-look team after the WNBA failed to stream their preseason opener Friday against the Lynx.
With this first opportunity, the Sky delivered by crushing the Liberty 101-53 in a preseason game at Wintrust Arena.
Marina Mabrey made a three-pointer in transition to put the Sky ahead by 29 with 3:44 left in the third quarter, and Weatherspoon celebrated as though it was a playoff game. The moment was a glimpse of what Weatherspoon brings to the franchise.
‘‘She just tries to put everybody in positions where she knows they’ll be successful,’’ Mabrey said.
Mabrey finished with a game-high 20 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Any concerns about whether Reese would return from the Met Gala on Monday in New York ready to play were quelled by her 13-point, five-rebound, two-steal performance.
‘‘She understands how to prioritize,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘She takes very good care of her body and knows what’s important.’’
Dana Evans added 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Liberty’s starters didn’t play a minute in the fourth quarter.
Vandersloot bike tour
Liberty — and former Sky — guard Courtney Vandersloot kicked her season off with a five-borough bike tour of New York.
The reason? To raise money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Vandersloot’s mom, Jan, was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma in 2022.
Vandersloot couldn’t take part in the tour last year because she was dealing with a concussion she suffered in training camp. Former Sky guard Allie Quigley, Vandersloot’s wife, rode in her place.
This year, the two completed the 40-mile bike tour together alongside MMRF members.
‘‘It was for a good cause,’’ Vandersloot said. ‘‘That kept me going. And it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things. When are you ever going to be on the freeway with no cars in New York?’’
Vandersloot raised more than $10,000 for MMRF this year.
Injury news
Weatherspoon updated the media on rookie center Kamilla Cardoso’s injured right shoulder before the game, saying, ‘‘We’ve been told four to six weeks, but she’s a tough young lady, so it could very well be before that.’’
Weatherspoon didn’t share the specifics of Cardoso’s injury.
A priority for Weatherspoon will be ensuring that Cardoso feels fully integrated into the team despite being unable to participate in practices or games.
Along with Cardoso, rookie guard Brynna Maxwell (knee) and forward Taya Reimer (concussion protocol) are out. The team said Maxwell will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.
The Sky will have to cut their roster to 12 by Monday. In response to a question about how injuries affect the evaluation process and finalizing the roster, Weatherspoon said, ‘‘It’s a tough situation because training camp is so short.’’