Sky loses opener 65-57 to troublesome Fever

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Updated: July 14, 2011 11:54PM

INDIANAPOLIS — Katie Douglas scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Tamika Catchings had 15 points and nine boards and the Indiana Fever beat the Sky 65-57 on Saturday night at Conseco Fieldhouse in the season opener for both teams.

Tangela Smith scored 16 points for the Fever, which beat the Sky for the sixth consecutive time.

Smith was 4-for-7 from behind the arc, one shy of her career high for three-pointers in a game.

Guard Epiphanny Prince scored a game-high 20 points, and center Sylvia Fowles added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Sky, which fell behind 10-1 at
the start of the game and never led.

The Sky cut the deficit to four by the end of the half, but Indiana took a 10-point lead with a 9-3 run to start the third quarter.

Rookie guard Courtney Vandersloot, the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, chipped in seven points and seven assists off the bench for the Sky.

AP