Mystics fall on road

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By ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — Candice Dupree scored 23 points, Sylvia Fowles had five of her 13 down the stretch and the Chicago Sky beat the Washington Mystics 68-63 on Saturday night.

Jia Perkins had 14 points and eight steals, and Fowles also had 10 rebounds to help the Sky win their franchise-record fourth straight at home.

"It's nice to have more than one player who likes to put the team on her back," Dupree said. "Syl had some huge rebounds and I was trying to crash the offensive boards. It was a total team effort."

Lindsey Harding scored 15 points, Alana Beard had 14 and Crystal Langhorne added 12 points for the Mystics.

Fowles' layup with 3:04 left gave the Sky the lead for good at 61-60. Dupree made two free throws 50 seconds later, and Fowles' putback made it 65-60 with 1:49 to go.

Matee Ajavon hit a 3-pointer for Washington 14 seconds later, but Perkins' 3 restored the five-point margin with 1:04 remaining. Neither team scored again.

Harding and Langhorne combined for 13 points in the third quarter as Washington used a 14-2 run to push its lead to nine with 4:42 left in the period. But Armintie Price made three free throws, and Dupree scored six points to give pull the Sky to 48-47 going into the fourth quarter.

"They got going in the second half and Candice Dupree really stepped up," Washington coach Julie Plank said. "I thought we really did a nice job on her last game, but [Saturday] they really did a good job down the stretch on the boards and we weren't scoring. Their zone was effective down the stretch against us."

Chicago shot just 4-for-17 in the first quarter as Washington built a 15-8 edge. However, after being held scoreless through the first 10 minutes, Dupree scored seven points, and reserve Erin Thorn added five in the second quarter to help the Sky take a 26-25 lead at halftime.

FEVER 63, LIBERTY 54: Ebony Hoffman scored 14 points, and Tamika Catchings added 13 points and 11 rebounds, leading Indiana to a home victory against New York in Indianapolis.

Tully Bevilaqua finished with 13 points, and Katie Douglas scored 11 for the Fever, who tied a franchise record with their sixth consecutive win. Indiana, which also won six straight in July 2007, moved one game ahead of Washington atop the Eastern Conference standings.

SUN 82, DREAM 68: Asjha Jones had season highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and host Connecticut beat Atlanta in Uncasville, Conn., for its third victory.

Erin Phillips scored 17 points, Lindsay Whalen had 14 and Kerri Gardin added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Sun.

Connecticut led by eight with 9:11 remaining before a 15-5 run secured the win. Phillips made two of her five 3-pointers during the run.

Iziane Castro-Marques scored 16 points to lead Atlanta. Erika DeSouza and Angel McCoughtry had 12 points apiece, and Chamique Holdsclaw scored 10.

LYNX 109, MERCURY 80: Candice Wiggins and Roneeka Hodges scored 22 points each, leading Minnesota to a home victory against Phoenix in Minneapolis.

Nicky Anosike and Renee Montgomery had 15 points each, and Rashanda McCants added 11 for the Lynx, who scored a season high in points to win their second straight. Anosike also had eight rebounds.

Cappie Pondexter and DeWanna Bonner scored 19 points each, and Le'Coe Willingham had 13 for the Mercury, who lost for the second time in three games.