Indiana Fever legend sends message to Courtney Vandersloot after harm horror

The Indiana Fever routed the Chicago Sky 79-52 on Saturday evening, however the sport was once overshadowed through a daunting second within the first quarter when veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot suffered an obvious knee harm and needed to be helped off the court docket.

Vandersloot has been a key contributor for the Sky this season, averaging 10.6 issues and 5.3 assists in 27.3 mins in keeping with sport. The undeniable fact that the harm was once non-contact raised further fear, and in her absence, the Sky delivered one among their poorest performances in franchise historical past.

Indiana icon Tamika Catchings, who led the Fever to a championship in 2012, presented toughen for Vandersloot.

“Prayers up Slooty!! 🙌🏽🙏🏽,” she wrote on X.

No Chicago participant reached double figures in scoring, with Kamilla Cardoso and Rebecca Allen main the workforce with 8 issues apiece.

The 52-point output tied for the fifth-lowest in Sky historical past throughout a regular-season sport.

It additionally marked the bottom scoring effort for the Sky since Sept. 19 of final 12 months, once they tallied simply 54 issues towards the Connecticut Sun. Their rock bottom stays 48 issues, recorded in 2006 towards the Detroit Shock.

Indiana has now outscored Chicago through a mixed 62 issues throughout two conferences this season. Kelsey Mitchell led the best way for the Fever on Saturday evening with 17 issues, adopted through Natasha Howard with 13 and Aliyah Boston with 11. Aari McDonald contributed 12 off the bench.

Sky trainer Tyler Marsh discusses affect of Courtney Vandersloot’s harm

Courtney Vandersloot’s presence was once seen as a big asset for the Sky, particularly given their urgent want for backcourt steadiness.

“She’s our engine,” Marsh stated (in keeping with ESPN). “She’s our captain and our chief available in the market, so clearly, it is a large blow. But with a bit of luck, it isn’t as critical as we might assume.

“We’re hoping she is in a position to soar again, however in the intervening time, all of us were given to pick out her up. We all were given to raise her up; all of us were given to raise each and every different up.”

Courtney Vandersloot is already a franchise legend, having spent 12 seasons in Chicago after being drafted in 2011. She helped the team win the 2021 WNBA championship.

She joined the New York Liberty for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, serving to cause them to their first-ever name final 12 months.