Sky serves up victory over Monarchs in home opener

Home cooking wasn't on the menu nearly enough at Chicago Sky games last summer.

The Sky posted a 6-11 record at the UIC Pavilion and players were kicking themselves when they came up just 2 victories short of a playoff spot.

Prior to Thursday's home opener, longtime WNBA veteran Chasity Melvin said she was reminding her younger teammates constantly that winning at home during the regular season is a must if the playoffs are the ultimate goal.

"That's what I'm stressing for the home opener ... and the rest of the season," said Melvin, a center who joined the Sky as part of an early-season trade last summer. "We did pretty well on the road last year (8-9), but we have to play better at home. We've got to defend our home court."

So far, so good.

For the first time in its three-year existence, the Sky (1-1) won its home opener.

Thanks to a tough defense that turned turnovers into fastbreaks, the Sky stayed ahead of the Sacramento Monarchs (1-2) for most of the game and shot a franchise-best 57.1 percent from the floor en route to an 87-77 victory in front of 4,188 fans.

"I'm very excited about what we did," first year Sky coach Steve Key said. "That's the kind of style of basketball we want to play all season long."

"This is huge for us," said Sky forward Candice Dupree, a two-time WNBA all-star and one of just three players on the roster who have been with the team all three seasons. "The last two years, we tended to play better on the road. Hopefully, when we have homecourt advantage we can take advantage of that.

"We definitely came out ready to win from the start. After our first loss in Seattle, we wanted to come out and get a win for the home crowd."

Dupree seemed among the most determined.

She tied teammate Armintie Price for game-high scoring honors with 22 points. Dupree was 6-for-6 from the field and knocked down 10 of 11 free throws, including some in the final minutes that closed the door.

Price, the 2007 WNBA Rookie of the Year, also shot the ball well, freeing herself up for numerous driving layups. She hit 9 of her 12 shots and all 4 of her free throws on the way to a career high in points.

And then there was Sylvia Fowles.

The Sky's much-hyped No. 2 draft pick gave the home fans the highlights they were hoping for. The 6-foot-6 center scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds and had 4 monster blocks.

"Amazing," Dupree said of Fowles' blocks. "One of the blocks ... everyone stood there like 'Wow.' She does a great job defensively.

"If I were on the other team, I'm not too sure I'd want to run up in there (the lane) knowing that she can potentially block my shot."

The Sky also got 14 points from point guard Dominique Canty, who had 8 points by halftime.

Sacramento had five players in double figures, led by forward Rebekkah Brunson (16 points).