Sky Overcomes 25-Point Deficit to Sink Sun

August 19, 2013 @ admin → No Comments

It’s not every day that the Chicago Sky falls behind 15-0 to start a game. It’s not every day that Sky all-star guard Epiphanny Prince misses her first five field-goal attempts. Sunday was that day.

Epiphanny Prince had a better finish than she did start to Sunday’s game. Credit: Rick Welton / HomeLand Sports

It’s not every day that the Chicago Sky falls behind 15-0 to start a game — and wins. It’s not every day that Sky all-star guard Epiphanny Prince misses her first five field-goal attempts — and finishes as the game’s leading scorer. Sunday was that day, too.

With Prince scoring 12 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter, the Sky ralled past the Connecticut Sun 89-78 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. Shay Murphy added 12 of her 15 points in the final quarter when the Sky outscored the Sun 38-20 and turned what looked early on to be a lopsided loss into an improbable victory.

Playing a second consecutive contest without injured rookie star Elena Delle Donne, the Sky was a far cry from a playoff contender when it shot 3-of-19 from the field in the first quarter and was fortunate to be down only 19-9. That deficit grew to 43-18 (25 points for those who are mathematically challenged — that group would include the person ~~crafting~~ typing this story) before the Sky cut the lead to 43-27 at the half.

The Sky went on a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to turn a 73-64 deficit into an 81-73 lead. The Sky went 11-of-14 from the field and 15-of-16 from the foul like in the final quarter. The Sky took the lead for good with 2:48 left on a Prince three-point play.

“I thought she had a really aggressive game,” Sky coach said. “She looked decisive and dynamic. She was attacking.”

“I think it shows a lot of character,” Prince said of the comeback. “When our backs are against the wall, we don’t quit.”

“Sorry about the hypertension and high blood pressure, ladies and gentlemen, but I think our team showed a lot of character tonight,” said Sky center Sylvia Fowles, who had 20 points and a game-high 21 rebounds.

The victory assures the Sky (17-8) of the franchise’s first non-losing season. Tan White led the Sun (7-17) with 16 points. Courtney Vandersloot added a season-high 17 points for the Sky.

“Extremely frustrated,” Connecticut coach Anne Donovan said. “We had a great 20 minutes in the first half playing good defense, scoring off of our defense. And in the second half — give credit to Chicago. They came out ran better offense, got more aggressive offensively. And 62 points in a half is pretty amazing.”

Those who witnessed the performance would have to agree.

Some postgame video: