Perkins plays (all)-starring role in 85-75 win

Part coach, part salesman.

That's what Sky coach Steven Key was in the wake of his team's convincing 85-75 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars Sunday at the UIC Pavilion.

Sure, he discussed how the Sky used a 16-0 start to put the Silver Stars immediately on their heels. But Key also wanted to talk about Sky guard Jia Perkins.

He did the best sales job he could for a player he firmly believes should be named a WNBA all-star by the league today.

"Jia Perkins is always very dangerous," Key said. "I don't know how the voting is going to come out, but it would be a huge, huge travesty if she's not on the all-stars as a reserve."

The starters for Saturday's WNBA All-Star game in Connecticut were determined last week by fan vote and the Sky already has two representatives: forward Candice Dupree and center Sylvia Fowles. Key hopes Eastern Conference coaches, who vote to fill out the roster, won't leave off Perkins just because they're trying to spread the wealth.

"I just know that every team plans for (Perkins) the way they plan for (Fowles) and for Candice," Key said. "If it doesn't happen then I don't know what an all-star is. I did tell her that she is an all-star to us."

Perkins certainly did her best all-star impersonation against the Silver Stars.

She rolled up a season-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting. She also had 3 assists and 3 steals and was instrumental in the Sky's quick start.

It was just the kind of game Perkins needed after one of her rare misses this season. On Wednesday against Indiana, Perkins, who is averaging 15.3 points per game, had just 5 points on 2-of-10 shooting.

"I have been disappointed in the way I've been playing," Perkins said. "But I think my teammates still have confidence in me."

Just a bit. Rookie guard Kristi Toliver, who scored 9 points and hit a pair of big 3-pointers with the Silver Stars threatening late, is a big Perkins fan.

"I call her the Ben Gordon of the WNBA, undersized, but has the ability to take anyone 1-on-1," Toliver said. "Every game she takes the opportunity to showcase what she has."

Dupree and Fowles, who has missed five of the last six games because of a knee injury, also showcased their all-star moves, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Silver Stars got double figures from four players, including a team-high 22 points from guard Becky Hammon, an all-star starter for the Western Conference.