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With boost from bench, Chicago Sky tame Minnesota Lynx 90-83

The Chicago Sky got a big win over the best team in the WNBA Friday night at Allstate Arena.

But it wasn't just the biggest names on the roster that got the job done.

The bench, typically lean in the production department, had its best showing of the season in the Sky's 90-83 win over the Minnesota Lynx.

Reserve center Clarissa Dos Santos had 10 points and 6 rebounds in 21 minutes for the Sky while reserve point guard Jamierra Faulkner had 4 points and 6 assists in 13 minutes.

They were the perfect complement to big guns Elena Delle Donne, the Eastern Conference player of the month for June, and Cappie Pondexter, who each poured in a team-high 24 points.

"It was a lot of fun and everyone was emotional and locked in and focused and on the same page," Faulkner said. "We all wanted to win and we did whatever it took to win."

The game was tied at 66 with 8:09 left when Dos Santos powered her way inside for a layup. She was fouled by Monica Wright and made the free throw to put the Sky up by 3 points. The Lynx could never get any closer as the Sky, the best free throw shooting team in the league (86 percent), hit 16 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter.

"It was nice to see us hitting big shots," Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. "The other nice thing was the free throws. We got a lot more aggressive. At halftime, we were just 2-of-2 at the line and we finished the game with 23 (attempts, 21-of-23 free throws). It was nice to see that when they jabbed us, we punched back."

Center Jessica Breland and point guard Courtney Vandersloot each scored 11 points for the Sky, which improves to 7-5 on the season.

Minnesota, which drops to 8-3, got double figures out of all three of its Olympians (Maya Moore, 29; Lindsay Whalen, 15; Seimone Augustus, 13) as well as 12 points from Rebekkah Brunson.

Moore had just 4 points at halftime but almost single-handedly kept the Lynx within striking distance in the second half with 25 points, including 3 straight 3-pointers at one point in the third quarter.

"Some of their players who don't typically score a lot of points contributed and were aggressive today," Moore said of the Sky. "That ended up hurting us in the end. And there were a few possessions here and there that hurt us and ended up costing us the game."

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