Sky rally, but can't complete comeback against Fever

INDIANAPOLIS - The Chicago Sky put up an effort in the fourth quarter but ultimately came up short in a 95-88 loss to the Indiana Fever Friday night.

Jessica Breland went 1-for-2 in free throws with just under 30 seconds to play to pull the Sky within one point. Indiana's Briann January was perfect from the foul line, including the final six points of the game.

Cappie Pondexter led the Sky with a season-high 22 points, who were playing without the league's leading scorer, Elena Delle Donne, and strong defender Tamera Young due to injuries.

"Obviously it affected it in terms of sheer numbers. Elena's (Delle Donne) the leading scorer, Tamera (Young) is a top defender," Sky coach Pokey Chatman said after the loss. "But that's part of the game, the injuries and the missing players. So we knew we would be without them, so we prepared as such. I don't think it was a big shock in terms of what we had to do out on the court. ... We didn't get 50/50 balls and that's it."

The Sky shot 42.5 percent from the field and went just 3-for-17 from the three-point arc.

While the Fever held a lead by as much as 12, including a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Sky continued to fight through the struggle. Pondexter hit a jump shot with 2:19 remaining to tie the game. But January's strong free throw performance put an end to the comeback attempt.

"We gave ourselves an opportunity but then we just had some self-inflicted wounds that we couldn't recover from," Chatman said. "We'll be better when the sun rises tomorrow and get ready for Connecticut on Sunday."

Indiana's Erica Wheeler added 16 points and Marissa Coleman and Lynetta Kizer 14 apiece to help the Fever (15-15) move into a tie for fourth with the Sky (15-15) and take the tiebreaker advantage. Fourth place earns a first-round bye in the playoffs.

• The Associated Press contributed to this report.