Lesson learned: Sky routs Dream
Not again.
The Chicago Sky was determined not to blow an early lead this time.
But more than that, the Sky was determined not to let what ultimately happened in Atlanta eight days ago happen again.
The Sky became an unfortunate footnote in WNBA history when it handed the expansion Atlanta Dream its first win in franchise history. To add insult to injury, the victory ended Atlanta's WNBA record 17-game losing streak.
In that game, the Sky had sprinted out to a 13-point first quarter lead.
On Sunday, the Sky was up on the visiting Dream by as many as 17 points in the first quarter.
But this time, the lead only grew - to as many as 31 points - and the Sky wound up cruising to a 79-66 victory in front of an announced crowd of 2,907 at UIC Pavilion.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sky (6-13).
"We learned a lesson last time," Sky forward Brooke Wyckoff said. "In Atlanta, we did the same thing and got out fast but lost focus. This time, I was really proud of how the team kept that focus and intensity. We know that Atlanta never gives up and plays hard for 40 minutes."
The Dream (2-19), which hit just 33 percent of its shots, managed to make the final margin deceiving thanks to a 19-point fourth quarter by 6-foot-8 center Katie Feenstra, who finished with a game-high 21 points.
But by then, most of the Sky's starters were on the bench kicking back.
It was a much-needed rest for them, considering the Sky has played three games in the last four days, including a close loss at Indiana on Saturday.
"(The big leads) gave the starters a chance to get some rest early, but we were still able to keep the momentum going," said Sky forward Candice Dupree, who tied guard Jia Perkins for team-high scoring honors with 18 points. Starting center Chasity Melvin added 10 points for the Sky.
"This was a much-needed win," Dupree added. "It was a little bit of redemption on our part. We gave Atlanta its first win, but we came out full force in this game. We were able to stay that way for 40 minutes."
The consistent effort came on the heels of an inspired showing at Indiana on Saturday. The Sky went toe-to-toe with the Fever up through the last minute, but then the Fever made a few clutch plays to pull away.
"Yesterday, the effort was also there for basically the entire 40 minutes," Dupree said of the Fever game. "We didn't have the mental breakdowns that we normally have in games. We need to take that into the next few games so we can make a run (at a playoff spot)."