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Four of the Chicago Sky’s starting five scored in double figures Saturday against the New York Liberty. Center Sylvia Fowles had 15 points, forward Swin Cash 13 and guards Epiphanny Prince and Courtney Vandersloot 11 each.
Center Sylvia Fowles set a Sky record for career minutes played.
That would mean rookie Elena Delle Donne — who had 23 points in a victory Thursday vs. the Liberty in Newark, N.J. — failed to reach duble digits for the first time in her WNBA career. With the Sky defeating the Liberty 80-69 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., Delle Donne and her teammates improved to 12-4 for the season. And that’s the stat that matters most to her.
“It shows that we’re an extremely dynamic team,” the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft said. “You hold one player below their average, someone else is stepping up, so it’s great to have a team like that and be able to get wins.”
Stepping up off the bench was forward Tamera Young, who had a team-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field.
“I’ve just been patiently offensively and trying to get in the right spots,” Young said. “I know they’re trying to double-team Elena and Piph, so they’re not even thinking about me. “So I’m getting open looks and driving to the basket.”
Fowles played 27:05 on an injured ankle to set a franchise record for minutes played (4,571, surpassing Jia Perkins’ 4,554).
“It’s just something you’ve got to suck up and go out there and help your teammates as much as possible,” Fowles said of her aching ankle. “I think our team had good movement, they were getting me the ball, I was rebounding the ball. Everything was working tonight. You’ve got 1 through 11 -players on the team] contributing.”
“It’s amazing to be in this position,” Delle Donne said of being atop the Eastern Conference. “We felt the importance of being in first, and we didn’t want it to be short-lived, so I think that’s where the extra push came from in the second half.”
The Sky improved to 4-0 against New York this season. Cappie Pondexter led the Liberty (6-10) with 22 points. Plenette Pierson added 17 and 11 rebounds.
The Sky enjoyed something of a block party in the first half — even though the Liberty led 42-39 at intermission. The Sky’s 10 blocked shots in the opening two quarters to set a team record for blocks in a half. The Sky finished with 13 for a team record. Delle Donne had four of the blocks with Fowles and Carolyn Swords adding three each.
“I don’t know exactly what New York’s scheme was to try and shut down Elena, but we had to show them we had other pieces to the puzzle,” Fowles said. “I’m so happy and proud of my team. They stepped and everybody contributed when they went out there on the floor.”
Especially Young, who had 13 points in the second quarter.
“Tam was big.” Cash said. “You know, there was a time when we were just kind of in a lull, and then she just came right in and gave us energy.”
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