Dream-Sky Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Aug 16 2012 2:55PM

The return of league scoring leader Angel McCoughtry and center Erika de Souza could provide the boost the Atlanta Dream need to secure another playoff berth.

The Chicago Sky's postseason chances will likely depend on the health of center Sylvia Fowles and point guard Epiphanny Prince.

Atlanta, the two-time reigning Eastern Conference champion, continues a stretch of eight straight road games Friday night when it returns from the Olympic break seeking its first win in three tries against Chicago in 2012.

The Dream played their final four games before that hiatus without McCoughtry, who had been sidelined by a left knee sprain after scoring 21 points in a 71-69 loss at Chicago on July 1. They split those four contests but were routed 91-70 by San Antonio in its last game July 13.

Atlanta (9-10) is third in the Eastern Conference but just percentage points ahead of the Sky (8-9), who have dropped four straight since last month's victory over the Dream.

McCoughtry is expected to be back in the Atlanta lineup after averaging 10.9 points in the Olympics with a tournament-high 20 steals as the United States won gold.

"I felt like my game went to another level, I felt like I really improved and I really felt that I helped bring a spark off the bench," said McCoughtry, averaging 22.6 points for Atlanta.

Dream coach Marynell Meadors, part of coach Geno Auriemma's staff in London, is hoping for a spark from de Souza, who could make her season debut Friday after training with the Brazil national team leading up to the Olympics.

De Souza was a force inside at the Games with 16.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, but the Brazilians failed to advance past group play with a 1-4 record.

"I'm really excited to come back," de Souza told the Dream's official website. "... I didn't come back here to just be the conference champion - I came here to be the champion of the WNBA."

De Souza's return should help down low against Fowles, averaging 18.5 points and a league-best 12.4 rebounds.

Fowles and forward Swin Cash returned to Chicago this week with gold medals, but the goal now is to help the Sky reach the playoffs for the first time.

"What you're expected to do with the Sky is what you're expected to do with the USA team - you bring what you're good at and you go out there and do it," said Fowles, who missed three of the eight games in London due to a foot injury.

Fowles is expected to play Friday, and it's possible Prince will as well after practicing with the team during the break. Averaging 22.3 points, Prince has been out since June 16 with a fractured right foot, and the Sky have dropped seven of eight in her absence.

Prince had a career-high 33 points in a 94-92 overtime victory at Atlanta on June 2 when Chicago rallied from 22 down in the first quarter. McCoughtry also had 33 in that contest.

McCoughtry scores 25 to lead Dream past Sky

Posted Aug 18 2012 12:58AM

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) Angel McCoughtry scored 25 points to lead the Atlanta Dream to an 86-76 win over the Chicago Sky on Friday night in the teams' return from the Olympic break.

Erika DeSouza had 19 points for Atlanta (10-10) in her season debut after sitting out to play for Brazil's national team. Lindsey Harding added 15 points and Sancho Lyttle 14.

The Dream outscored the Sky 52-30 in scoring in the paint, and coach Marynell Meadors and Harding credited DeSouza's presence for the disparity.

``It was more than just her points tonight,'' Harding said. ``It was her defense. I think she did a great job on Sylvia, which is a really hard thing to do. We need that big, center presence and I feel like we were missing that in the first half of the season.''

Epiphanny Prince scored 16 points in her return to Chicago's lineup after being sidelined since mid-June with a foot injury. Sylvia Fowles had 13 points while Le'Coe Willingham added 11 for the Sky (8-10).

Chicago was 7-1 at the time of Prince's injury and struggled in her absence. Even in her first game back, the Sky lost their fifth straight.

``She means a lot to this team,'' Fowles said. ``Just to have her back is a blessing and hopefully she gets back to the full recovery and what she had. For the most part though, she looked good and I'm happy to have her back.''

Prince shot 5 for 11 from the field, including 4 for 8 on 3-pointers, in a little more than 28 minutes.

``My foot feels okay. It doesn't hurt anymore so that's a good thing,'' Prince said. ``I feel like I blended in too much. In the fourth quarter, seven or so minutes went by and I didn't demand the ball until three minutes left. While they were executing, we were forcing things and turned the ball over too many times.''

Chicago led 61-59 entering the final quarter and 72-71 with 4 1/2 minutes to play. However, McCoughtry's putback gave Atlanta the lead for good at 73-72 with 3:13 remaining.

``We had the lead a lot during the first three quarters but I really thought we played really good down the stretch,'' Meadors said. ``The last four to five minutes, we played some really good basketball and had some really good stops while being able to score.''

Swin Cash had seven points as the Sky opened a 19-16 lead. The Dream surged back with a late 10-0 run that included a three-point play by McCoughtry and two baskets by Harding on the way to a 26-21 advantage by quarter's end.

McCoughtry scored nine points in the second quarter to help Atlanta maintain a slim lead late in the half. The Sky pulled to 42-40 on Cash's rebound shot, but McCoughtry closed the period with a pair of free throws for a 44-40 halftime edge.

``It was a really good game,'' McCoughtry said. ``We have a good team. We know that it's the end of the season and that every game counts and everything is important so we knew we had to come out and play the way we did.''

The Sky reclaimed the lead at 55-53 on Sonja Petrovic's jumper and maintained a two-point lead after the third quarter, but were outscored 23-15 in the fourth.

• Dream: --
• Sky: --

• Dream: --
• Sky: Fowles

• Lead Changes: 13
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
• Officials: #55 Eric Brewton, #8 Daryl Humphrey, #62 Jeff Wooten
• Attendance: 5593
• Duration: 1:49