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Perkins nets 29 as Sky beat Silver Stars

Jul 20, 2009 - 2:18 AM CHICAGO(AP) -- Jia Perkins scored 29 points and the Chicago Sky beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 85-75 on Sunday night.

Candace DuPree added 13 points and Sylvia Fowles had 11 and nine rebounds for the Sky (8-8). Fowles had missed five of the last six games with a knee injury.

DuPree and Fowles will start for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star game and Chicago Sky coach Steven Keys said Perkins also deserves to make the team.

"I don't know how the voting is going to come out for the All-Star game next week, but it would be a huge travesty if (Perkins) did not get on as a reserve," Key said. "I told her that she's an All-Star to us and that's all that really counts if she does not make it."

Perkins entered the game second on the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game and tops in assists at 3.9.

The Sky jumped out to a 43-28 halftime lead as the Silver Stars shot just 15.3 percent (5-for-33) from the field in the first half. They missed all 11 of their 3-pointers.

Becky Hammon scored 22 points to lead San Antonio (6-8). Trailing by 11 entering the final period, Hammon scored nine points over a 3:30 span to cut the deficit to 72-67 with 3:49 left.

The Sky responded with an 8-0 run, including consecutive 3s by Kristi Toliver and a layup by Perkins, to put the game away.

"Backbreakers," said Hammon. "You work so hard to get there (and) we just didn't get stuff done down the stretch. It's a shame because we fought back hard. We just didn't get the stops we needed."

Sophia Young added 11 points for San Antonio.