NEW YORK — The Sky appeared to be down and out.
It was only the second quarter, but they trailed by 19 points and looked tired, lost and outmatched against the Liberty. Dana Evans being out with a non-COVID illness had reduced the Sky’s already-depleted roster to just eight players.
In the second half, however, they proved eight was enough to get a victory and rallied past the Liberty 86-82.
‘‘Our sense of urgency [changed in the second half],’’ Sky star Kahleah Copper said. ‘‘Our true belief in each other, and we just said, ‘We’re going to have some pride in this second half.’ ’’
After the Sky trailed 47-30 at the break, the second half opened too similarly to the first for coach/general manager James Wade’s liking. After missed jump shots by Copper and Courtney Williams were followed by a basket by the Liberty, Wade called a timeout.
‘‘He was pissed,’’ Copper said. ‘‘And then he pissed me off.’’
Wade opted not to go into detail about what he said during that timeout. Whatever it was, however, it worked. Coming out of it, Copper went on a solo 8-0 run, cutting the Liberty’s 19-point lead to 11.
Copper was limited to seven points in the first half but finished with a game-high 27 to go with seven rebounds and three assists.
‘‘When the moment comes, I’m ready and I’m built for it,’’ Copper said. ‘‘But I have teammates around me, so I don’t have to do it by myself.’’
All eight of the Sky’s available players scored. Marina Mabrey added 17 points, Courtney Williams 12 (10 in the fourth quarter) and Elizabeth Williams 11.
‘‘[The fourth quarter is] win time for me,’’ Courtney Williams said. ‘‘Not saying I try and coast through the first three, but when it’s win time, I just get into a different mode.’’
The game was a night-and-day difference from the Sky’s one-point loss Friday to the Liberty at Wintrust Arena. The Liberty brought a physicality that forced the Sky onto their heels in the first half.
The Sky went into the locker room at the half, watched film of themselves getting beaten repeatedly in transition and ramped up their effort. They ended up outscoring the Liberty 21-19 on fast-break points.
‘‘We’ve been confident like this the entire season,’’ Wade said. ‘‘[A victory like this] doesn’t add anything. It just reinforces sentiments, but it doesn’t add confidence for us.’’
Former Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot nearly had a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Liberty, who also got 20 points from Breanna Stewart.
While the Liberty look like a team still struggling to find an identity, the Sky have theirs well-established. They might not have the flashiest roster or even enough available players to play five-on-five, but a commitment to defense is sparking them.
After the Liberty tied the score at 76 with less than two minutes left, the Sky tapped into that identity. They made key defensive stops, got to the free-throw line and finished it.
The biggest takeaway from this victory might be another lesson in leadership for Copper. The Sky (4-3) already have shown a penchant to overcome adversity, and Copper said leadership will help them continue to navigate it.
‘‘When you’re down 18 or 19 points and somebody’s telling you something and you have to have that difficult conversation in the flow of the game, that’s where true leadership is,’’ Copper said. ‘‘We were able to communicate and get through so much.’’
