Dream-Sky Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Sep 19 2012 4:06PM

After clinching a playoff berth their last time out, the Atlanta Dream can officially turn their attention to a postseason matchup with the Indiana Fever.

The Chicago Sky will need some help from one the league's less formidable teams in order to get in.

The Sky try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive Thursday night when they host a Dream club seeking a season-best fourth consecutive victory.

Chicago (13-19) is one game behind New York for the Eastern Conference's fourth and final playoff spot with two to go. The Sky, who conclude their schedule Saturday against WNBA-worst Washington, can only get in by winning their final two games and having the Liberty lose both matchups in a home-and-home set versus lowly Tulsa.

While Chicago and New York have split four meetings, the Liberty hold the tiebreaker thanks to a better conference record.

The Sky took a big step back in their quest for their first postseason berth Tuesday, falling 75-60 at Seattle. Epiphanny Prince proved to be the lone bright spot, scoring a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.

"It's a tough loss for us," she said. "We dug ourselves too far in a hole ... It's just really unfortunate for us right now."

Chicago, which trailed 26-13 at the end of the first quarter, was limited to 32.4 percent shooting and outrebounded 42-25.

"Opportunity lost. We don't have a lot of time to wallow in it," coach Pokey Chatman said. "We have a very good Atlanta team waiting for us, and that's just the nature of our profession. Of course you look at the tactical and basketball fundamental things - that'll be the easiest part to do. But to make them understand you have an hour to deal with this and be sick about it, then use some of that raw emotion and channel it into something positive."

The Sky pulled out a pair of two-point victories over the Dream (18-14) before losing the last two matchups.

Atlanta is coming off its sixth victory in seven games, 82-74 at Washington on Friday. Leading the league with 21.9 points per game, Angel McCoughtry, who had come off the bench in each of her previous six games, scored 26 in her return to the starting lineup.

"We did some isolation plays for her to create some things and she's a good one-on-one player and she just made some clutch baskets for us," coach Fred Williams said.

The Sky know all too well of McCoughtry's prowess. She's posted 26.3 points per game in three matchups this year, including a season-best 33 points during a 94-92 loss June 2. Prince scored a career-high 33 in that game.

Chicago's Ticha Penicheiro is expected to be available despite announcing her plans to retire Wednesday. Penicheiro, the league's all-time assists leader with 2,597, is averaging 1.9 points and 2.2 assists in 17 games.

"As they say 'all good things must to come to an end,' and unfortunately the time has come for me to walk away from this game I love," she told the league's official website.

McCoughtry, Lyttle lead Dream past sky, 75-66

Posted Sep 21 2012 12:05AM

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) Angel McCoughtry scored 21 points and Sancho Lyttle added 17 as the Atlanta Dream beat Chicago 75-66 Thursday night, eliminating the Sky from playoff contention.

Armintie Price had 12 points and Erika DeSouza grabbed 10 rebounds for Atlanta (19-14), which has secured third place in the Eastern Conference. The Dream never trailed and won their fourth straight and seventh in the last eight.

``Tonight was a very good game we played,'' McCoughtry said. ``Kudos to Armintie. ... I think everybody did a good job despite some quarrels. ... The team contributed very well tonight and we just want momentum for the playoffs.''

Carolyn Swords scored 16 points to lead the seventh-year Sky (13-20), who have never made the postseason. Epiphanny Prince added 14, Shay Murphy had 12 and Courtney Vandersloot 10.

Chicago, which has lost three of its last four, remained one game behind fourth-place New York - which lost 78-66 at Tulsa - with one game remaining. The teams split their four regular-season meetings but the Liberty have the second tiebreaker with a better conference record.

``Obviously, it was extremely disappointing with the outcome of the game, more specifically the defensive end of the floor,'' Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. ``That's something we've talked about in several of our last games. You have to keep your man in front of you. At the end of the day, you've got to play from the tip to the horn, especially with some of the limitations we have because of player rotations. We didn't, and therefore we're done.''

With a win Saturday against last-place Washington, Chicago can match its 14-20 mark from last year in Chatman's first season as coach and general manager.

``I think the biggest lesson is trying to help with creating a sense of urgency all the time,'' Chatman said. ``They're pros. They know what's going on. We need to find a way to give the players the confidence to want the ball in their hands.''

Price scored six points while Lindsey Harding added five as Atlanta led 21-13 through one quarter. Chicago pulled within three with 2:28 left in the second, but Atlanta closed with a 7-0 run to take a 41-31 lead at halftime.

The Sky again trimmed the Dream's lead to three points early in the third but the got no closer as Atlanta pushed to a 57-49 advantage by quarter's end. In the fourth, the Dream led by as many as 16 points and Chicago never got closer than nine.

The fifth-year Dream are returning to the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and are coming off two straight trips to the WNBA Finals - where they were swept both times, by Seattle in 2010 and Minnesota last year.

``We're trying to get to 20 (wins) and keep winning,'' Lyttle said. ``It keeps us motivated to go (further). We just need to stay focused and play as hard as we can play because the playoffs is a different scenario.''

Chicago's Olympic center Sylvia Fowles missed her sixth straight game with a calf strain and will miss Saturday's season finale.

The Sky also announced this week that point guard Ticha Penicheiro is retiring. A 15-year veteran, she was named one of the league top 15 players of all time in 2011.

• Dream: --
• Sky: --

• Dream: --
• Sky: Chatman

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
• Officials: #7 Clarke Stevens, #13 Cameron Inouye, #31 Amy Bonner
• Attendance: 4188
• Duration: 1:57