Sky watches big lead evaporate

Chicago Sky fans have seen it before.

The Sky did on Tuesday something it hasn't done recently, but used to do all too often in the past: lose to an inferior team.

Despite missing three starters, including two of the best players in WNBA history, the Seattle Storm unleashed a downpour on the Sky's perfect record at Allstate Arena. The Storm overcame an early 15-point deficit and wound up rolling to a 69-60 victory.

The loss drops the Sky, which was playing its first game without injured star center Sylvia Fowles (right ankle sprain), to 7-4 overall and 5-1 at home.

Seattle, meanwhile, is limping along with even less star power. The Storm (5-6) is playing the entire season without point guard Sue Bird (knee) and forward Lauren Jackson (hamstring), both perennial all-stars. Center Ann Wauters won't be playing this summer either.

Shooting and turnovers plagued the Sky, which wasted its chance to bury a depleted opponent when it sprinted out to a 21-7 lead after one quarter.

“It's very disappointing,” said Sky guard Epiphanny Prince, who tied rookie forward Elena Delle Donne with a team-high 12 points. “We have to be able to keep that intensity throughout the whole game. We got off to that great lead and I think we got too complacent. We were relaxing a little bit and it allowed them to come back.”

The Sky racked up 12 turnovers, after posting a season-low 5 turnovers last week against the New York Liberty. The turnovers led to 21 Seattle points. And at 29.9 percent, the Sky finished with its lowest field-goal percentage of the season.

“There were shots that were great shots and none were going in,” said Delle Donne, who on Monday was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for June as well as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. “It's frustrating when you feel like you executed perfectly and it just isn't falling.”

Seattle got double figures from four players, including a game-high 16 points from both Camille Little and Temeka Johnson.