June 17--After losing defensive standout Tamera Young indefinitely to thumb surgery on Monday, the Chicago Sky will get a boost with Allie Quigley's return on Wednesday.
The Sky were prepared to lose Quigley for most of June while she played for the Hungarian national team in the Olympic-qualifying EuroBasket tournament. But Hungary (1-3) was eliminated, freeing up Quigley to return to Chicago.
Quigley, the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year in 2014, has averaged 4 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in two games for the Sky this season. In the EuroBasket tournament, she scored 17 points per game, good for sixth place.
Quigley is expected to be active when the Sky face the Dream in Atlanta on Friday. The team waived center Victoria Macaulay on Tuesday to make room on the roster. Macaulay had 4 points, four rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes over four games.
Sky help ratings jump: ESPN2's WNBA doubleheader on Sunday combined to average 278,000 viewers, up 31 percent from the network's first league broadcast last year, which featured the Sky at the New York Liberty.
Sunday's slate showed the Sky defeating the Indiana Fever for their second win of the season, while the Minnesota Lynx lost to the defending champion Phoenix Mercury. All but the Sky have won a WNBA title in the last three seasons.
plthompson@tribpub.com
