Perkins and Sky send Sun to fifth straight loss

The momentum suddenly shifted when Chicago Sky guard K.B. Sharp went down with an ankle injury with less than four minutes left in Friday's game against the Connecticut Sun.

The Sky, which had never trailed, started to let its lead slip away.

In Sharp's absence, the Sun fought and clawed its way back and took the lead for the first time with a little more than six minutes to play.

Then, Sharp came back in the game.

Sharp hit a momentum-gaining 3-pointer to give the Sky its lead back for good, as the starter finished with 11 points and a game-high 4 assists in a 73-65 victory at the UIC Pavilion.

Sharp wasn't sure she was going to be able to return to the game, but she was relieved when she did.

"It was a really close game," she said. "We had to make baskets, they had to make baskets, in order to keep the game going and keep the lead."

Four others finished in double figures for the Sky (6-13). Jia Perkins led the way with 15 points, Chasity Melvin added 13, Candice Dupree totaled 11 to go along with her team-high 9 rebounds, and Quianna Chaney set a personal season high with 10 points off the bench.

The Sky looked strong early on as it led by double digits for most of the second quarter. The Sky took its largest lead at 41-26 after a Brooke Wyckoff 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining before the break.

By the middle of the third quarter, the Sun (13-8) started to make a run. Not too long after a pair of Asjha Jones' free throws, Sharp twisted her ankle and had to be assisted off the floor by teammates with 3:35 on the clock.

In Sharp's absence, the Sun went on a 16-2 run before tying the game at 56-56. The game was knotted two more times before Sharp hit the 3-pointer in the corner that saved the game for the Sky.

"Things got a little dicey (without her)," Sky coach Steven Key said. "But she picked it up and went ahead and played the fourth quarter for us."

Jones led all scorers with 18 points, and Sandrine Gruda finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Sun.