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WNBA Chicago Sky

Sky edged by San Antonio

July 10, 2008 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Chicago Sky News Release


Attendance at tonight's game: 3,040 Sylvia Fowles missed her 12th game with a left knee sprain she suffered June 3rd, at home against Los Angeles. The Silver Stars have won six games in a row and 11 of the last 13, and now own the best record in the WNBA at 14-6. The Sky fell for the third game in a row. The Sky's last two losses have come to teams at polar opposites of the standings. Saturday the Sky fell to the 0-17 Atlanta Dream, and tonight to the best team in the WNBA. This was the second straight game at UIC Pavilion that featured a first place team, but the last one had a different outcome. In the last home game on June 28, the Sky had its best all-around performance of the season as it routed the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Shock, 76-59. With tonight's win, the Silver Stars extended its Western Conference lead to 1.5 games over the Los Angeles Sparks. Tonight's win was the first for the Silver Stars against the Sky since July 1, 2006. The Sky swept the 2007 season series with an impressive 70-60 road win on June 9, and followed that up with an 84-82 overtime win July 22 at home. The Silver Stars now lead the all-time series at 3-2.

KEY STATS OF THE NIGHT

The Silver Stars were able to take control by holding Candice Dupree and Jia Perkins in check. Dupree went scoreless in the second and third quarters, while Perkins scored only six through the first three periods, allowing the Silver Stars to expand their lead. The Sky outscored the Silver Stars 23-10 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late to make up the 21-point deficit going into the fourth. The Sky was outrebounded for the second straight game, 41 -28. Before these two games, the Sky had outrebounded its last four opponents. San Antonio forward Sophia Young was held to eight points after scoring 20 or more in each of the previous five games.

KEY RUN OF THE NIGHT

Any thoughts of a comeback were dashed in the last 3:20 of the third quarter as the Silver Stars began a 16-4 run to close the out the period. The Sky had pulled within 9 points, but couldn't keep up with Ann Wauters and Becky Hammon as the duo combined for nine points during the run.

SKY-LIGHTS

Guard Dominique Canty scored in double figures for the fourth time in five games after failing to top ten points in the prior six games. Canty had 12 points on 4-6 shooting and also dished out four assists. Candice Dupree tied her season high with three blocked shots and scored in double figures for the 16th straight game with 13. Four steals were good for a career high for Tye'sha Fluker as she earned her second most minutes played of the season. Armintie Price tied her career high with two blocks.

SILVER STARS NOTES

The Sky had no answer for center Ann Wauters. The six-year veteran scored at will inside on her way to 23 points, one shy of her season high, on 10-12 shooting. She also led the way with 11 rebounds, and earned her sixth double-double of the season. The Silver Stars received 11 valuable points off the bench from guard Edwige Lawson-Wade. It was a career high for the third-year player from France, topping her previous best of 10 set on June 13, 2005 at Sacramento. She also collected a career high four rebounds.

NEXT PRACTICE: July 11, 10-12 at Attack Athletics.

NEXT GAME: The Sky continues its packed July schedule with a road game at Indiana, Saturday, July 12. Tip time is 6:00 p.m. as the Sky faces a Fever team it lost to 74-67 just three games ago.

SKY QUOTES

Head Coach Key

"They have a five game winning streak. They have been on the road and if you go out there and let Anne Wauters do what Anne Wauters wants to do, then you aren't going to get many chances to win the game and this is what happened tonight."

On the team's mental breakdown:

"We were playing them tight and we battled back and then all of a sudden we have two mental breakdowns and then their lead balloons back to 10. Then you start to work out of desperation. We have to have more mental discipline."

#11 Jia Perkins:

On tonight's loss:

"I think they started off and got whatever they wanted to. We have to focus on team defense. When we aren't making every shot we shoo,t then we can't let the other team make their shots."

On coming back in the fourth quarter:

"We keep fighting. That was all that we could do. That's what a coach will ask you to do - we have to stay positive even though this loss still hurts. We just have to take it game by game. Your offense works off your defense. It's not rocket science; we just need to get our defense together."

#4 Candice Dupree

On the Sky taking quarters off:

"We can't do that. We can't turn it on and turn it off like that. We have young players, but we have to play hard for 40 minutes. We're not Detroit, San Antonio or Connecticut, you know, the top teams in the league right now. We have to play hard the entire game."

On San Antonio having a different team from last year:

"They have Ann Wauters now who's giving them 15-20 points a game. Erin Buescher is healthy. She was out with a knee injury. Becky Hammon is always going to work her hardest out there to get them the win. We showed them we can play with them in the first and fourth quarter but unfortunately we don't play that consistently the entire game."

#3 Dominique Canty

On what happened tonight:

"I don't even know. If I knew I would say something. We just can't put it together for 40 minutes. We go out and we play hard in spurts. We started out okay but during the middle of the game it's like somehow we lose it and then at the end, now we're down 20 points and we're trying to catch up. You get tired of it. So I mean, basically we just need to put it together for 40 minutes."

On the Atlanta loss affecting the team:

"I guess to each her own. I can only say personally for myself, I don't dwell in the past so I'm not thinking about that game because we've got so many more to play. We've got like 13-14 more games to play, so it doesn't make sense to think about the Atlanta game. It was a tough loss. Every loss is a tough loss. We're five and whatever so, I mean, it's hard."

On not having Sylvia:

"She's our big person in the middle and she stopped a lot of people from driving to the basket because she blocks a lot of shots. We are really, really missing her right now and I can't wait until she gets back. Hopefully, when she gets back, she can jump into it right away and still have that chemistry."

#22 Armintie Price

On tonight's game:

"San Antonio came in here and wanted it more than we did. That's hard to believe because, unlike them, we are not on a winning streak. We have to put the work in on and off the court and this includes me. We have to play harder and keep our heads up. Everyone goes through a rough patch, but it's about who comes out on top and we want to be that team."

On the team having a mental breakdown:

"We lost our focus, but we have to be a team that can battle back and win games. We battle for a minute then we slip up on our offense or defense, they score and that's where our breakdown seems to happen. We have to have the will power to battle back. Everything we do out there is under our control. We have to have all players out there focus with a win attitude. We need to play every game like it's a play-off must-win game. We have to want this in our hearts."

San Antonio Silver Stars

Head Coach Dan Hughes

On winning so decisively with Becky Hammon only scoring 12 points:

"I thought we really shared the ball well. You know, you look at 19 assists and 28 baskets and I thought our passing was very good. We were able to score in transition and create a little bit of a flow coming out of that. I thought that was key coming out of it. I also thought we rebounded; one of our better rebounding games. Those are the two factors I thought that gave us some separation."

On now 14-6, (1st in Western Conference), team's chemistry and success:

"That's the beauty of the team. I don't think we are the best one-on-one team, but what we have got is we play together. Offensively and defensively, there is a little bit of chemistry created. I think we share the ball well and I think we rotate defensively. I think that's the beauty of this team. So when we play to that, that's when we are best."

On outrebounding Sky 41-28 and the importance of being active on the glass:

"It's huge for us, period. You look at a defining feature and that is probably the thing we don't do as well. So the fact that we could rebound in this game was big and has played big in any game we have played so far."

#12 Ann Wauters

On her 23 points and 11 rebounds:

"Yea, I think our defense worked well, as well as taking rebounds. I think we did a great a job on Dupree and Perkins. That's like a team effort. I think we were all focused on not letting them go to their sweet spots. So, I think we did a pretty good job doing that. And on offense, I think we got in a good flow where we really shared the ball well. Sometimes we got a lot of easy lay-ups and that gives you a rhythm, of course."

On winning on the road and giving team confidence:

"It's big. I mean if you want to be a great team and look to the playoffs, every game now is really important. The West is so tight now, so every win is really big on the road as well as at home. So every win we can take, we'll take it."

Check out the Chicago Sky Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 10, 2008


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