CHICAGO - Candace Parker came home to bring the Windy City a basketball championship and did just that, leading the Chicago Sky to the franchise's first title.
Allie Quigley scored 26 points and Parker added 16 with 13 rebounds and five assists as the sixth-seeded Sky beat the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury 80-74 on Sunday in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, wrapping up the best-of-five series in which Chicago's loss came in overtime in Game 2.
"This one is so sweet," a champagne-soaked Parker said. "To do it with this group - I love this group, I love this team. And to do it here at home, it was just supposed to be."
Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 15 assists as the Sky rallied from a 72-65 deficit with 4:42 left. Chicago scored the next nine points to take a two-point lead on a layup by Stefanie Dolson, who added another basket to make it 76-72 with 45.8 seconds left.
The Mercury's Diana Taurasi was fouled on the next possession attempting a 3-pointer; she made the first two free throws but missed the third. Vandersloot then scored in the lane to seal the victory and set off the celebration.
As the final buzzer sounded, Parker, who helped lead the University of Tennessee to two national championships, sprinted to a corner of the court and hugged her family with tears in her eyes.
"It was amazing to just hug my dad and my mom. It was just an amazing feeling to be from here and see so many people in the stands that have been supporting you since you started," said Parker, who grew up nearby Naperville, Illinois, and joined the Sky this year after spending her first 13 WNBA seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Added Parker: "It's just a moment where you just have to really take it in."
She has been continually called the Sky's missing piece throughout the playoffs, a label she proved accurate many times during the team's stunning run. In addition to acknowledging her Chicago roots, she gave a nod to her time in Tennessee when she referenced late Lady Volunteers coach Pat Summitt.
"It feels amazing. My high school coach is here," Parker said. "I know Pat's watching. Got the whole city here. We've got the whole city here. We are champions for life now."
Brittney Griner was a focal point of Phoenix's offense early in the game. The seven-time WNBA All-Star finished with 28 points, 18 of which came in the first half. Griner and guard Skylar Diggins-Smith helped lead a 9-0 run to finish the second quarter and give the Mercury a 44-37 edge at halftime.
However, Quigley's fourth-quarter outburst ultimately undid any attempts Phoenix could make to stave off elimination.
"It wasn't our night," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. "Allie made some really big shots for them. We left her open, and she made them. It would be nice to be going back to a Game 5 now, but it's not going to happen this year."
The Phoenix players declined to come to the postgame press conference. The door to their locker room was broken, and a person familiar with the incident said at least one of the team's players was responsible. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Parker initially had trouble getting into a rhythm offensively, going 1-for-6 from the floor with just four points by the end of the first half. Phoenix's lead stretched to 14 at one point in the third quarter, but the deficit wasn't big enough to shake Chicago's confidence down the stretch.
"We stayed together," Sky coach James Wade said. "It was a microcosm of our season, where you go down and you keep pushing. By the end of it, the crowd took over, our players stayed together and you started to see who we were. I never doubted for a minute that we were going to win that game."
Kahleah Copper, who had been a force in the first four games of the WNBA Finals, was named MVP of the series.
"I have this edginess and grittiness about me that's going to keep me going," she said. "It was very important for me to be consistent coming in this year and better than I was last year. You put the work in and you get rewarded."
After the game, Parker mentioned a picture she took with her daughter on the court after she won her first championship with Los Angeles. She keeps the photo on her wall, and her daughter's desire to be part of a similar moment helped convince Parker to come back home.
"I asked her if it was OK if I came to Chicago," Parker said. "And she was like 'I want another picture like that.' It's crazy, because she came out to the court and said 'We did it,' and it was just surreal."
The Sky drew a sellout crowd despite the Chicago Bears hosting the rival Green Bay Packers just down the street at Soldier Field. Chance the Rapper was once again in attendance to support his hometown team.
Emotions were high for both teams right from the start, as Taurasi and Copper each was hit with a technical foul in a 50-second span in the first quarter.