Dupree speaks up, leads way for Sky past Monarchs

When she found a long-range jump shot over the off-season, Chicago Sky forward Candice Dupree also apparently found her voice.

A vocal leader has been lacking during the Sky's first three seasons, and Dupree was among the most quiet.

Not anymore.

In her fourth season in the WNBA, Dupree feels compelled to speak up to encourage her teammates, to emphasize a point or to just downright fire everyone up.

"I can't just lead by example anymore," Dupree said. "I'm trying to be more vocal, talking in timeouts and on the court. It's not an easy task, but somebody needs to do it."

Could it be more than a coincidence then that now that the Sky finally has a player who wants to rally the troops that the troops are indeed rallying?

Once again the Sky found the inner strength to rally from behind and steal away victory. This time the victim was the Sacramento Monarchs.

With Dupree leading the way with her words and her will, the Sky pulled out a 74-72 victory Tuesday night in front of 2,721 fans at the UIC Pavilion, which suddenly is one of the most unfriendly arenas for visiting teams in the WNBA.

The Sky is 5-0 at home, easily its best start there in franchise history.

Down 67-62 with 2:41 left, the Sky (6-3) went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for good.

Dupree started the rally with 2 free throws and a jumper on a possession she kept alive by fighting for an offensive rebound.

The Sky then got 7 straight points from guard Jia Perkins, who hit a gigantic 3-pointer with 57.9 seconds left to give the Sky a 71-67 lead. She finished with a team-high 17 points. Dupree had 16 points and center Sylvia Fowles added 14 points.

"Candice huddled everyone together and did a tremendous job of leading them down the stretch," Sky coach Steven Key said. "That is something we haven't had in the past. When she rallies the troops and tells everyone what to do, it gives everyone a bit more confidence."

Reserve guard Erin Thorn, a six-year veteran who was on the court during crunchtime, said that Dupree's leadership makes a difference in stressful situations.

"No one is hanging their heads," said Thorn, who scored 6 points. "We're confident in each other. We have each other's backs, and Candice is the catalyst for that. She rallies the troops."

Sacramento got a game-high 21 points from forward Nicole Powell.