Emma Meesseman had 20 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead the visiting Chicago Sky to a 93-84 win over the slumping Indiana Fever on Thursday night.
Azura Stevens had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Allie Quigley supplied 13 points and four assists for the Sky. Candace Parker attempted only seven field goals but filled the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 27 points and five assists. NaLyssa Smith contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds, Tiffany Mitchell tossed in 15 points, and Emily Engstler added eight points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Sky (16-6) bounced back from an 81-78 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, which snapped a five-game winning streak.
The Fever (5-19), who own the league’s worst record, have dropped six straight.
Indiana shot just 26.1 percent from the field in the opening quarter and trailed 22-15.
Chicago began the second quarter with a 12-2 run, including seven straight points from Stevens.
Indiana’s offense then perked up, as it cut Chicago’s advantage to single digits. The Sky nudged the advantage to 10, 48-38, by halftime. Meesseman led the way with 12 points, while Quigley contributed eight. Kelsey Mitchell carried Indiana back into the game with 13 points in the second quarter.
Chicago extended its lead to 20, 77-57, by the end of the third quarter. The Sky opened the quarter with a 10-0 run, including three baskets from Meesseman. The Fever couldn’t get any closer than 16 points the remainder of the quarter. Chicago’s Julie Allemand hit a 3-pointer in the final second of the quarter.
Indiana gradually chipped away in the final quarter and got its deficit down to 11, 86-75, on a Smith jumper with 2:04 remaining. The Fever couldn’t get any closer than the final margin.
–Field Level Media