Fowles, Sky topple Atlanta Dream 80-70
ATLANTA -- Sylvia Fowles had 19 points and nine rebounds, Shameka Christon had 13 points and eight assists, and the Chicago Sky defeated the Atlanta Dream 80-70 on Friday night for their third straight victory.
Cathrine Kraayeveld scored 13 points and Dominique Canty added 11 for the Sky, who opened the season with four consecutive losses.
Iziane Castro Marques scored 18 points for Atlanta, which lost its second straight after six consecutive victories. Sancho Lyttle had 14 points and Angel McCoughtry, who came in averaging 22.9, was held to 11.
Both teams shot well from behind the 3-point line with Chicago making 7 of 15 and Atlanta going 9 of 16.
The Sky went on a 16-4 run as Fowles scored seven points for a 56-41 lead midway in the third quarter.
But the Dream later went on a 14-2 run capped by a pair of 3-pointers from Castro Marques and Chicago's lead was 61-54 going into the fourth quarter.
Chicago led 40-35 at halftime. The Dream kept the game close with help from 5-of-6 shooting on 3-pointers.
The Sky took advantage of eight Dream turnovers in taking a 22-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Scouting: Tulsa Shock (3-3 or 2-4) at Chicago Sky (3-4)
When: 7 p.m., today
Where: Allstate Arena
TV: Comcast CN100
Last time: On Friday, Tulsa lost to/defeated the Minnesota Lynx in Tulsa, ??-?? and the Sky defeated the Atlanta Dream in Atlanta, 80-70.
Skinny: The Sky is flying high after tagging the Atlanta Dream with just its second loss of the season. The Dream started the season 6-0 and was the last team in the WNBA to record a loss. The Sky won with tough defense and balanced scoring. Nine of 11 Sky players scored, led by Sylvia Fowles, who scored a game-high 19 points. Shameka Christon and Cathrine Kraayeveld chipped in with 13 points apiece-The Sky also got 8 points from Jia Perkins, but her greatest value was on defense, holding Angel McCoughtry, the leading scorer in the WNBA at 23 points per game, to just 11 points. Most of the game, McCoughtry was stuck in single digits. Perkins' defense was contagious and the Sky took advantage of a 23-13 advantage in the turnover department-Tulsa, which is coached by former Arkansas men's coach Nolan Richardson, is led by forward Amber Holt, who is averaging 15 points per game. The Shock will be without starting guard Alexis Hornbuckle, who is serving the second game of a two-game suspension for pleading guilty to drunk driving last year while playing in Detroit. That could lead to more playing time for reserve guard Marion Jones, the former Olympic track champion who is trying to reinvent herself in the WNBA after her involvement in a steroids scandal-Now is the time for the Sky to make a move. After two straight wins following an 0-4 start, the Sky now gets to play four games in a row at home.
Next: New York Liberty at Sky, 7 p.m. Tuesday