CHICAGO –Stefani Dolson and Allie Quigley both scored 19 points and turned in big plays in the fourth quarter to lead the Chicago Sky to a 78-70 WNBA victory over the Indiana Fever, Sunday afternoon at Wintrust Arena.
Quigley’s off-balance 3-pointer beat the shot clock with 4:36 to play to stake the Sky to a 64-63 lead and Courtney Vandersloot scored a reverse layup on Chicago’s next possession for a 66-63 lead. Dolson’s bucket with 2:29 to play gave the Sky a 70-65 lead the Fever couldn’t overcome.
Betnijah Laney’s 3-pointer brought Indiana within 70-68, but Dolson grinded another bucket in the paint to maintain a two-possession Sky advantage with 1:14 to go. Indiana missed a pair of shots on its next possession and Quigley’s layup lifted the lead to 74-68 with 29 seconds remaining.
Diamond DeShields added 11 points for the Sky and Jantel Lavender contributed eight points and 11 rebounds. Vandersloot had nine points and 14 assists as the Sky (11-8) locked up their fourth straight win and sent Indiana (6-14) to its fifth straight defeat.
The loss marked the 10th time in 14 Indiana losses that the Fever played within two possessions of the lead in the game’s final minute.
While Indiana took control early with its defense and just three turnovers in the first half, 15 points off 10 Fever turnovers in the second half stifled the Indiana offense and fueled the Sky’s comeback. Chicago outscored the Fever 51-34 in the second half.
“We had good intensity and execution and were locked in on defense for a significant portion of the game,” said Fever coach Pokey Chatman. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t hit shots when we needed them. We took 20 more shots, but didn’t get them to fall,” she said, referring to Indiana’s 29-of-84 field goal shooting. Chicago, meanwhile, shot 44 percent with 28 baskets on 63 attempts.
Erica Wheeler, who finished with 13 points and nine assists for the Fever, moved to No. 3 in WNBA history for career assists by an undrafted player, trailing just Becky Hammon and Tully Bevilaqua. Meanwhile, rookie center Teaira McCowan finished with an Indiana rookie record 16 rebounds and 11 points, but the records and milestones couldn’t overcome the Sky’s momentum and veteran play from Dolson, Quigley and Vandersloot down the stretch.
“We weren’t aggressive in the third quarter like we were early,” said Wheeler, who will represent the Fever with Candice Dupree in next week’s WNBA All-Star Game. “We missed a box-out on a free throw and gave them five points in 30 seconds to give them the momentum.”
Dupree added 12 points for the Fever who led by as many as 13 points midway through the third period. Laney scored 11.
Indiana took command in the first half with its persistent defense and rebounding. Since trailing 15-6 with 4:50 in the first quarter, the Fever kept the Sky scoreless over a 14-0, eight-minute stretch that turned into a 28-6 run and 13-point lead with 3:46 before halftime.
The Fever were outrebounded and shot just 27 percent in the first quarter but took advantage of 10 first-half rebounds from McCowan to control the boards in the second period. Indiana’s run helped the Fever outscore the Sky 23-12 in the second quarter, aided by 3-of-5 3-point shooting including a perfect pair from Wheeler. Indiana led 36-27 at intermission.
Chicago jumped back into contention with a 9-0 third-period blitz that took just 64 seconds and included a three-point play by Stefanie Dolson, aided by her own rebound of her missed free throw. The Sky regained their first lead since the first quarter when Diamond DeShields converted a nifty dish in the lane from Vandersloot for a 46-45 advantage.
The last five minutes of the third period featured four lead changes and a tie, with Chicago on top 53-52 to set the stage for the pivotal fourth. The third and fourth quarters, alone, featured lead changes and eight ties, capped by Quigley’s 3-pointer to give the Sky it never relinquished.
The Fever play their final game before the All-Star Break at Phoenix on Tuesday.