Sun-Sky Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jul 25 2011 2:56PM

The Connecticut Sun headed into the All-Star break on a roll. They're hoping that success carries over as they try to solve the Chicago Sky.

Chicago seeks its fifth straight home victory overall and third win in four tries against Connecticut when the teams meet Tuesday night.

The Sun (9-5) are percentage points behind Indiana for the Eastern Conference lead thanks to a three-game win streak, their most recent victory coming Tuesday by an 85-79 score over New York.

Tina Charles scored 24 points and Renee Montgomery added 13 and 10 assists. Both played in the All-Star game Saturday, with Charles scoring 15 points and Montgomery 12.

``I would hope (the last) game gives us the confidence and a mental image of how we're supposed to play,'' Sun coach Mike Thibault said. ``We were really good for long periods of the game.''

Though unbeaten at home, Connecticut has struggled to a 2-5 road record, with a pair of those losses coming in Chicago.

The Sky (8-9) won 107-101 in double overtime in the most recent meeting June 23. Sylvia Fowles' layup with nine seconds left in regulation gave Chicago a three-point lead, but Montgomery's 3-pointer tied the game. Fowles sent it into a second OT with a turnaround jumper before the Sky prevailed.

That followed a 78-75 home win over the Sun on June 10. Connecticut won the lone meeting on its home floor, 83-68 on June 19.

Fowles, the league's leading scorer at 20.6 points per game, has averaged 23.3 versus Connecticut this season. She has four straight games of 20 or more points following a 21-point effort in a 77-63 loss to Indiana on Thursday.

The center is third in the league with 9.3 rebounds a contest, but she had only one board in the defeat - Chicago's third in five games.

``We're at the turning point where we need to grow up, step up and recognize opportunities," coach Pokey Chatman said. "It's mental to physical. We played like a young team (Thursday).''

Returning home may help, as the Sky have won four in a row at Allstate Arena by an average of 13.0 points. To extend that run, they'll likely have to slow Charles and Montgomery.

Charles ranks fourth in the WNBA with 18.3 points per game, and scored 31 on June 19 and 22 in the most recent meeting with Chicago. Montgomery had a season-high 33 points in the double-overtime loss and scored 22 on June 10.

Fellow All-Stars Epiphanny Prince and Courtney Vandersloot have also played roles in the Sky's two victories over the Sun. Prince, the league leader with 3.2 steals per game, scored 25 points June 23 while Vandersloot had 18 on June 10.

Jones, Charles lead Sun past Sky, 77-66

Posted Jul 27 2011 12:17AM

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) Tina Charles played solid defense on WNBA leading scorer Sylvia Fowles and gave the Connecticut Sun a boost on offense, too.

Asjha Jones scored 22 points, Charles had 21 and the Sun broke open a close game in the third quarter and beat the Chicago Sky 77-66 on Tuesday night.

``I tried to get her out of her rhythm, trying to play hard defense,'' Charles said of Fowles. ``I think me and her, when we play against each other, we try to take it personal ... so just that matchup alone and the way my teammates helped me, telling me where she is and they had my back on defense, it made it easier.''

Kara Lawson and Renee Montgomery added 14 points each as the Sun (10-5) won their fourth straight.

Epiphanny Prince scored 16 points to lead Chicago (8-10), which has lost two straight, and Fowles was held to 14 points - 6.6 below her league-leading average.

``Tina did a great job and was focused on making (Fowles) work for everything she got,'' Sun coach Mike Thibault said. ``We tried to make her play in a crowd of people as best as we could. We did not do that good on her early, but as the game went on I thought we did a really good job on her. I know she got some points at the end, but we were trying to take away the 3-point shot down the stretch.''

Tamera Young added 10 points for the Sky.

Jones had seven points as the Sun extended a 34-32 halftime lead to 51-39 with under 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Sky got no closer than six the rest of the way.

``We're not good enough to not play harder earlier, smarter earlier, with a sense of urgency because you negate some of the good things you do,'' Chicago coach Pokey Chatman said.

Chicago led 25-15 in the second quarter before Jones scored nine straight points during Connecticut's 15-2 run later in the quarter that gave it a 34-29 lead.

The Sky committed 20 turnovers to only 10 for the Sun. Connecticut was 3 for 16 from the 3-point line, while the Sun shot 2 for 6. Fowles and Charles each had 12 rebounds.

• Sun: --
• Sky: --

• Sun: --
• Sky: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
• Officials: #17 Scott Twardoski, #31 Amy Bonner, #53 Jeff Smith
• Attendance: 3091
• Duration: 1:59