Chicago Sun-Times

Star-crossed Sky fails to make playoffs for seventh straight season

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 06:44:31 -0500

Epiphanny Prince spoke in a whisper. Courtney Vandersloot’s voice was barely audible. Players sat in front of their lockers in silence. The Sky was eliminated from playoff contention when it lost to the Atlanta Dream on Thursday in its second-to-last game of the season. The Sky needed to win its final two games — and the fourth-place New York Liberty had to lose its final two games — to clinch a playoff berth for the first time in its seven-year history. Reaching the playoffs was the Sky’s No. 1 goal, Vandersloot said. “It’s really disappointing,” she said. “We had a …

Thompson reaches WNBA milestone as Storm tops Sky, 75-60

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 23:40:12 -0500

SEATTLE (AP) — Tina Thompson scored 10 points to become the first WNBA player to reach the 7,000 for her career and help the Seattle Storm beat the Chicago Sky 75-60 on Tuesday night. Ann Wauters scored 16 points, Katie Smith added 13 and Ewelina Kobryn had 12 for Seattle (14-18). The Storm, who already have clinched a ninth consecutive playoff berth, snapped a four-game losing streak. Epiphanny Prince had 21 points and Shay Murphy 12 to lead Chicago (13-19). The Sky remained one game behind New York for the fourth and final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Thompson hit a …

Sky falls to Sun as Tina Charles leads rally with 24 points

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:22:00 -0500

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun needed to mix things up Sunday to get a needed home win. Tina Charles scored 24 points to rally first-place Connecticut to an 82-77 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday. Renee Montgomery had 12 points, Tan White added 11 and Kelsey Griffin 10 for Sun (21-8), who trailed by 14 late in the second quarter. Charles shot 11 for 15 from the field to help Connecticut win for the sixth time in its last nine games. The Sun snapped a two-game skid at home and improved to 10-5 at Mohegan Sun Arena, one …

Sky’s playoff hopes take a hit with loss in L.A.

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:16:00 -0500

LOS ANGELES — With center Sylvia Fowles, an Olympian and the WNBA’s second-leading rebounder, out for a third consecutive game because of a strained calf, the Sky dropped an 87-77 decision to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night. Swin Cash scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half for the Sky, and Epiphanny Prince had 19. The Sky (12-18) fell a game behind the New York Liberty for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Rookie Nneka Ogwumike scored a career-high 30 points and had 11 rebounds to help the Sparks move to two …

Sky snaps 9-game skid with 82-70 win over Sun

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 19:16:36 -0500

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Epiphanny Prince scored 15 points and the short-handed Chicago Sky snapped a nine-game losing streak with an 82-70 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. Olympic center Sylvia Fowles and forward Tamara Young missed the game because of personal reasons. Sky coach Pokey Chatman said Young had a death in the family. Reserve center Carolyn Swords started in Fowles’ absence and had a career-high 14 points and added six rebounds for the Sky (9-14). Swin Cash had 14 points and six rebounds, and Courtney Vandersloot added 11 assists and four steals. Allison Hightower had 17 points and …

Sky falls to Dream, drops into tie for fourth

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:18:01 -0500

ATLANTA — Sancho Lyttle and Tiffany Hayes made sure the Atlanta Dream didn’t miss star forward Angel McCoughtry too much. Lyttle had 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Hayes added 18 points and five assists, and the short-handed Dream defeated the Sky 82-71 on Wednesday night. Atlanta (11-11) had a 17-point halftime lead cut to three midway through the fourth quarter before pulling away for its second win in three games — both against Chicago — since the league’s month-long Olympic break. McCoughtry, the WNBA’s leading scorer at 22.7 points per game, didn’t play because of “personal reasons” according …

Sky falls to Mystics in overtime

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 22:48:01 -0500

WASHINGTON — The Sky and Washington both desperately needed a victory. The Mystics proved clutch when it counted. Matee Ajavon scored 22 points and Jasmine Thomas made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in overtime as the Washington Mystics outlasted the Sky 75-71 on Sunday to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Sky. Crystal Langhorne had 18 points for the last-place Mystics (5-16), who had lost two straight and played for the third time in four days since returning from the month-long Olympic break. “Man, this game is so huge for us because we desperately need wins in …

Sky falls 86-76 to Dream in first game back from Olympic break

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:40:00 -0500

Angel McCoughtry scored 25 points to lead the Atlanta Dream to an 86-76 win over the Chicago Sky on Friday night in the teams’ return from the Olympic break. Erika DeSouza had 19 points for Atlanta (10-10) in her season debut after sitting out to play for Brazil’s national team. Lindsey Harding added 15 points and Sancho Lyttle 14. Epiphanny Prince scored 16 points in her return to Chicago’s lineup after being sidelined since mid-June with a foot injury. Sylvia Fowles had 13 points while Le’Coe Willingham added 11 for the Sky (8-10). Chicago led 61-59 entering the final quarter …

Sky falls to Liberty for 5th loss in last 6

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:14:43 -0500

Cappie Pondexter scored a team-high 19 points, including a pair of key late free throws, and the New York Liberty held off a late Sky comeback for a 64-59 victory on Friday night. The win was the second straight for the Liberty (6-9) and first in two tries over Chicago. The Sky (8-6) trailed 61-59 following Sylvia Fowles’ bank shot with 1:23 left, but missed a chance to tie on a turnover with 48 seconds to play. Pondexter, fouled on an inbound pass with 19.3 seconds left, hit two free throws to open a four-point Liberty lead. Teammate Essence Carson …

Sky snaps skid as Sylvia Fowles delivers in clutch

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 00:46:20 -0500

Sylvia Fowles scored 21 points, including two go-ahead free throws with 33 seconds to play, and the Sky snapped a four-game losing streak with a 71-69 victory over Atlanta on Sunday night at Allstate Arena. The Sky (8-5) rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit and led by as many as seven in the fourth before the Dream (7-8) briefly reclaimed the lead at 69-68 on Sancho Lyttle’s baseline 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining. Fowles also had 12 rebounds while Shay Murphy scored 13 points, Sonja Petrovic had 12 and Le’coe Willingham added 11 for the Sky. Angel McCoughtry paced the …

Sky hopes to halt 3-game skid against visiting Phoenix

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:04:01 -0500

The Chicago Sky are moving from one streak to another, first winning six in a row and now hitting a three-game losing skid. So when the Phoenix Mercury (3-9) come to Allstate Arena Friday (7:30 p.m., CN100), the Sky hopes for a better outcome. Its latest loss was an 81-72 defeat against the Indiana Fever, a team that has beaten the Sky (7-4) three times already. And the Sky almost had a déjà vu against the Fever when forward Tamara Young rolled an ankle in fourth quarter. Young is filling in for guard Epiphanny Prince, who will miss six to …

Sky thumped 81-72 by visiting Fever, its third straight ‘L’

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:14:00 -0500

Shavonte Zellous led a balanced offense with a season-high 18 points for the Indiana Fever, proving too much for the Sky as it fell 81-72 on Wednesday at Allstate Arena for its third straight loss. Tamika Catchings had 17 points and a season-high nine assists, Jeanette Pohlen had 14 off the bench and Tammy Sutton-Brown added 10 for the Fever (8-5), which has won three of its last four. Sylvia Fowles had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Swin Cash scored 17 and Tamera Young added 15 for the Sky (7-4), which is struggling after a franchise-record 7-1 start. Zellous was …

Sky still adjusting without top scorer Epiphanny Prince

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 06:34:54 -0500

The only injury Chicago Sky guard Epiphanny Prince ever really had was a sprained thumb when she played at Rutgers. That was until June 16 when Prince fractured her right foot and the Sky ended a six-game winning streak. Prince, who was leading the WNBA in scoring with a 24.3 average, will have to miss six to eight weeks. “I told her to consider herself blessed, for one, and the second thing is it’s an Olympic year and you buy yourself about four weeks [with the WNBA’s Olympic break],” said Sky coach/general manager Pokey Chatman. “And the third thing is …

Sky loses to Lynx without Epiphanny Prince

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:51:18 -0500

MINNEAPOLIS — Lindsay Whalen scored 25 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 79-67 victory Saturday against the Sky in WNBA action. Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 12 points and Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore 10 each for the Lynx (12-1), which has rebounded with back-to-back victories after its lone loss of the season last Sunday. All of Augustus’s points came in the second half. Sylvia Fowles had her ninth double-double in 10 games for the Sky (7-3), scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Sonja Petrovic added 13 points and Swin Cash 11 for the Sky, which committed 24 turnovers. …

Hot-starting Sky serious about winning, growing in WNBA

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:59:52 -0500

On the 40th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the Chicago Sky is in the midst of its best start in franchise history. And the fact that the WNBA is still kicking around is a testament to Title IX’s staying power and why the legislation was passed in the first place. ‘‘From being a college athlete to coaching professionally, I know that Title IX helped me become the person I am today,’’ Sky general manager and coach Pokey Chatman said Wednesday at a ceremony at the Thompson Center. ‘‘We still have a lot of work to do.’’ So do …

Sky’s Epiphanny Prince out 6 to 8 weeks with broken foot

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 06:25:03 -0500

Sky guard Epiphanny Prince will miss six to eight weeks with a Jones fracture on the outside of her right foot, the team announced Monday. Prince had announced on her Twitter account Sunday that she had broken her right foot and would undergo surgery Monday. Prince also predicted that she’d miss six to eight weeks. “We look forward to [Prince] making a full recovery,” Sky coach/general manager Pokey Chatman said. “She has had such a great start to the season, and the injury is obviously very disappointing for her and for us.” Prince broke her foot in the first quarter …