Sky can't control mistakes or Fever

It's hard enough to beat one opponent at a time, let alone two.

The Chicago Sky tried it on Friday night at Allstate Arena, and didn't fare too well. Sky players and coaches say they were beaten 83-75 not only by the Indiana Fever, but also by themselves.

A 7 of 16 clip from the free-throw line and 14 turnovers, some of which came in crunch time, helped do in the Sky, which is now 6-6 and has lost five of its last six games.

"It's very frustrating and we have to look within," said Sky point guard Courtney Vandersloot, who had 11 points, 5 assists and 4 turnovers. "It starts with us and it starts with me, especially with the turnovers. We've got to take care of the ball. That's always a key."

The Sky is 1-3 without leading scorer Elena Delle Donne (22.3), who has not played since June 7 due to a severe flare-up of her Lyme disease. The absence of all-star center Sylvia Fowles, who has been out the entire season while recovering from off-season hip surgery, was felt more than usual against the Fever, which outrebounded the Sky 36-26. The Sky got only 3 offensive rebounds in the game.

"You're not going to beat anyone with 3 offensive rebounds," Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. "It's a mentality. There are certain players, like a Tamera Young (team-high 9 rebounds), who will keep going and going after rebounds, even when there's no chance that she'll get it. We need to have more people gravitate to that mentality."

The Sky, which was down by as many as 10 points in the first half and cut its deficit to 2 points by halftime, got a game-high 18 points out of guard Epiphanny Prince, 16 points out of forward Jessica Breland and 11 points from both Vandersloot and reserve guard Jamierra Faulkner.

Indiana, which moves to 6-5 and has yet to get a game out of all-star forward and former Stevenson standout Tamika Catchings (back injury), was led by center Erlana Larkins with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Natasha Howard and guard Shavonte Zellous also had 13 points and forward Marissa Coleman chipped in with 12 points.