Kamilla

Cardoso

Banham recorded a season and career high in assists in her final game of the 2025 season. Banham, a natural shooting guard, saw extended minutes for the Sky at the one especially following Courtney Vandersloot’s season-ending ACL injury. She accounted for 10 of the Sky’s 25 assists on Thursday night and had her most assists in the second quarter when she registered five. Banham found five different teammates including her most consistent target Kamilla Cardoso, who scored 10 of her points off Banham assists, in addition to shots for Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse, Michaela Onyenwere and Maddy Westbeld.

Cardoso was dominant against the Liberty, exploiting some of New York’s miscommunications on defense. There was one possession where Cardoso scored and Jonquel Jones audibly shouted help once she got beat by the deceptively speedy Cardoso. The sophomore center had her highest scoring game on Thursday night since she posted 22 points also against the Liberty on August 21. Cardoso finished her final game of her second WNBA season with a season-high of four blocks.

Westbeld had a career night to cap off her rookie season. She scored not only the most points she has in the WNBA but she made the most three-pointers as a pro with five and registered the most assists she has had in a game all season with three. Westbeld was taking her open shots confidently, hitting over the outstretched and often late closeouts of multiple Liberty defenders. She found Kia Nurse for a transition three-pointer and Michaela Onyenwere and Kamilla Cardoso on high-low dump down passes. Westbeld tied her season high in rebounds with seven, a number she last reached on July 16 against the Dream.

While the Sky lost both of their games in Las Vegas, Cardoso’s trip was productive. The second-year center totaled 23 points and 28 rebounds in the two defeats, pushing her double-double tally to 13. By comparison, Cardoso recorded seven double-doubles as a rookie. With the recent suspension of fellow 2024 first-round pick Angel Reese, who did not play on Tuesday due to a back injury, it’s anyone’s guess what the Sky roster will look like in 2026 as the franchise rebuilds. Both young post players are under contract for next season, but that does not guarantee anything.

Cardoso landed her 12th double-double of the season on Sunday in 31 minutes of game action. While she shot the ball inefficiently, she made enough to finish as one of five Chicago starters to score in double figures. Her greatest impact, however, came on the glass, where she collected seven offensive boards and grabbed eight on the defensive end en route to tying a season-high in total rebounds. The sophomore center will look to add to her double-double count on Tuesday when the Sky face the Aces again.

Williams recorded her fourth double-double of the season on Friday night. She scored the ball efficiently coming off high-low passes from teammate Kamilla Cardoso in addition to two assists coming from Rebecca Allen finding Williams cutting off the ball. Williams rebounded the ball well especially when Cardoso wasn’t in great position to do so and had Fever players trying to box her out. Williams also facilitated at a high level on Friday night. She found Michaela Onyenwere for two different layups where the Fever were mismatched guarding the Sky wing. Williams also had two more assists in the fourth quarter to Ariel Atkins and rookie Maddy Westbeld for two jump shots that Williams helped created on handoffs and screens.

Cardoso had dominant stretches scoring the basketball especially with Angel Reese out, who was serving a one game suspension from the league after picking up her eighth technical. Cardoso accounted for eight of the Sky’s 15 points in the first quarter and then scored half of the Sky’s 19 points in the third. She scored while being guarded by her former South Carolina teammate Aliyah Boston in addition to finding ideal positioning while Damiris Dantas was on the floor in Boston’s place. Cardoso facilitated the ball at a high level on Friday night and she found her front court partners Elizabeth Williams and Michaela Onyenwere for a total of five assists. She hit Williams on two high-low actions and found Onyenwere well spaced moving off the ball.

After seeing her streak of double-digit scoring performances end at seven on Saturday, Cardoso used efficient shooting to make her way back to double figures against the Sun. All but one of her baskets came from inside the paint, and 12 of her total points came in the first half. The second-year center also made her mark on the defensive end as she recorded at least three blocks for the fourth time this season. She finished with a solid line and will have a chance to finish her sophomore season on a high note.

Cardoso impressed again in Chicago’s loss on Thursday. While she didn’t log high efficiency from the floor, she still shot well and took advantage of several opportunities in the post. She finished as one of the Sky’s leading scorers and totaled at least 15 points for the fourth game in a row. Additionally, she got her teammates involved with her passing on the offensive end and, defensively, tallied her 10th multiple-block game of the season. Cardoso’s upside remains high in fantasy leagues going forward as she nears completion of a strong second season in the WNBA.

The sophomore center logged a massive third quarter, where she tallied 13 points (3-of-6 FGs, 7-of-7 FTS) and dominated the offensive interior to help the Sky cut a 12-point halftime deficit to four by the end of the quarter. She was mostly quiet in the other three quarters but did enough in that third frame to finish as one of Chicago’s top scorers, while gathering double-digit rebounds for the game to provide fantasy managers with substantial production. Cardoso has scored in double figures in six straight games and will have a chance to extend the streak to seven against Phoenix on Thursday.