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Fever edge Sky 88-86 in OT

INDIANAPOLIS — Tamika Catchings had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Indiana Fever to an 88-86 overtime win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday night.

Catchings, who is set for her third Olympics later this month, became the first player in WNBA history to score 1,500 career free throws on 6 of 8 free throw shooting.

Jessica Davenport scored 15 points and Shavonte Zellous scored 14 points for the Fever (9-6).

Sylvia Fowles had 24 points and 16 rebounds and Shay Murphy scored 20 points for the Sky (8-7), who have lost six of seven.

Davenport scored the go-ahead basket with 2:41 left in overtime and was fouled on the shot. She missed the free throw, but Zellous grabbed the rebound and Davenport scored to give the Fever an 83-80 lead.

The Sky went on a 12-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to get within 68-67.

Catchings scored to make it 70-67, but then Murphy hit a 3-pointer to tie the game.

The Sky took their first lead of the game with 3:58 to play when Swin Cash, who scored 18 points, went to the line and made two free throws.

Fowles scored to make it 76-75 with 1:11 left and the Fever had the chance to gain the lead, but turned the ball on a bad pass to Davenport next to the basket.

They could have regained the lead again with 22 seconds left in regulation.

The Sky missed a shot and the Fever’s Briann January was fouled driving to the basket and made 1 of 2 shots from the line.

January is the No. 2 free throw shooter in the league (.919) and only missed three free throws all season before Saturday’s game.

The Fever forces their opponents to an average of 17 turnovers a game. The Sky had five turnovers in the first quarter. The Fever didn’t commit their first turnover until the 3:23 mark in the first.

The Fever were perfect from the free throw line in the first quarter going 10 for 10 and didn’t commit a foul. The Fever led 25-15 after the first.

It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that the Sky were able to get within four of the Fever and trailed 37-33 at the break.

The Fever pushed to a double-digit lead late in the third quarter when Davenport was fouled. She made her first free throw and missed the second, but Jeanette Pohlen grabbed the rebound and scored to make it 60-49 with 1:51 left in the third.

The Sky scored on the next trip down the floor, but Indiana’s Katie Douglas made 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute of the quarter and the Fever held the Sky scoreless to take a 64-51 lead into the final quarter.

The win was the Fever’s fourth over the Sky this season. The Sky have one more chance to take a game from the Fever when the two teams play again on Sept. 1.

Notes: Fever G Erin Phillips didn’t play and is day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms suffered in Thursday’s loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars. ... Fever F Karima Christmas made her debut with the Fever after being acquired from Tulsa in a trade for Roneeka Hodges on July 2. ... The Sky’s leading scorer, Epiphanny Prince, remained out with a broken bone in her right foot that she suffered in an 84-70 loss at Indiana on June 16.

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