Sky clinch playoff berth with 98-96 victory

Amid a tight race in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Sky (18-11) returned to action against the Atlanta Dream (12-17) on Saturday night inside Philips Arena. On the front end of a back-to-back Chicago had six players score in double figures, including all five starters, to outlast the Dream 98-96. Cappie Pondexter led the charge with 22 points and four assists while Courtney Vandersloot finished with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Sky secured its third consecutive playoff berth.

"It just shows that we have multiple weapons and that we can play off of each other," said Sky Head Coach and General Manager Pokey Chatman. "I felt there were times where players really contributed multiple good shots and plays at crucial times."

With Elena Delle Donne out of the lineup (foot), Courtney Vandersloot guided the WNBA's highest scoring offense early on. With seven points and one assist, Vandersloot accounted for nine of the Sky's first 13 points in the game. Allie Quigley came in firing off the bench contributing five points as the Sky took a 24-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Quigley started the game 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, including a three pointer to begin the second quarter as Chicago's offense continued to roll. The Sky shot 52.9% from the field in the first half. In addition to Quigley's 11 first half points, Erika De Souza added seven in the second quarter as Chicago maintained a 52-45 lead at halftime.

Pondexter dominated the second half with 16 points. She was 7-for-10 from the field and added three assists to help the Sky fend off 15 third-quarter points from the Dream's Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry scored 26 points in the second half, and finished with 33 in the game, but Sky forward Jessica Breland scored eight of the Sky's final 14 points to seal a 98-96 victory.