ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - While Chicago Sky coach Pokey Chatman’s game plan typically starts with defense, offense dictated the tone Friday night.
Elena Delle Donne scored a season-high 28 points and the Chicago Sky just missed a franchise record for points, beating the Connecticut Sun 101-82 at Allstate Arena.
“From the beginning we were able to get baskets,” Chatman said. “Offensively we were moving the basketball, we were taking what the defense was giving us (and) we just really did a good job for 40 minutes. That fueled us when we were struggling a little bit defensively.”
The Eastern Conference-leading Sky (5-1) beat the Sun (1-5) for the second time in nine days.
Jessica Breland had a career-high 18 points and added adding 10 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Sky guard Allie Quigley tied a career high with 15 points off the bench, and Courtney Vandersloot had a team-record 13 assists.
Connecticut reserve Kelsey Bone had 20 points, and reserve guard Alyssa Thomas added 13. Alex Bentley had 12, while center Chiney Ogwumike and backup Renee Montgomery added 11 each as the Sun dropped their fourth straight road decision. They’ve lost 12 straight away from home since Aug. 1, 2013.
The Sky scored a record 102 points in a regulation game at Phoenix on May 27, 2013.
Chicago broke open a tight game with a 7-0 second quarter run on the way to a 51-41 halftime lead, started the second half with six straight points and led by 24 in the second half.
The Sun managed just 4-of-19 (21.9 percent) from the field in the second quarter as Bentley collected 10 first half points.
The Sky opened the third quarter with six unanswered points on the way to a 77-61 lead after three quarters and led by as 24 points in the final quarter.
“Yeah, we struggled,” Connecticut coach Anne Donovan said. “It’s the second night of a back-to-back so I felt like the ball wasn’t going in the hole. I really felt like offensively, we were going to get it together in the second half and start hitting some outside shots, but then we came out and started settling for jump shots, which is not the way to go.
Chicago was again without 2013 starting guard Epiphanhy Prince, on the bench in street clothes for the third straight game after returning from a personal leave.
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