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Sky-Fever Preview

Jul 14, 2009 - 5:36 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

Chicago (7-7) at Indiana (9-2), 1:00 p.m. EDT

The Indiana Fever have had to pull out a few close games to keep their winning streak alive. Last week's road matchup with the Chicago Sky wasn't one of them.

The Fever look to extend their franchise-record run to 10 games Wednesday when they host the Sky, who hope for a better showing than in the teams' last meeting.

Indiana (9-2) has won nine straight for the first time in franchise history, including an overtime victory at New York on June 26 and a narrow win over Atlanta that wasn't decided until the final seconds July 5.

While they've had a few close calls, the Fever had no problem dispatching the Sky (7-7) on Friday. They shot 52.2 percent while holding Chicago to 29.5 percent from the field in the 83-54 rout.

"Play intense defense, that's what we rely on," Fever center Tammy Sutton-Brown said after Indiana recorded its largest margin of victory since winning 75-46 at Connecticut on May 27, 2008. "Our defense transitions into our offense and it's something we work on constantly."

That training paid off early against Chicago. Indiana forced seven turnovers in the first quarter to take a 33-9 lead.

"I think coming in everyone was very focused," said forward Tamika Catchings, a one-time Chicago-area high school star. "... We knew we'd have to come out and play our game straight from the beginning, but try to jump on them, and we did a great job."

The Fever are now in position to become the first WNBA team to win 10 games in a row since Connecticut won 12 straight July 16-Aug. 9, 2006 - a streak that ended with a loss to Indiana.

The Sky's loss to the Fever on Friday was their fourth straight, but they snapped the skid Sunday with an 86-81 victory at Seattle. Candice Dupree had 28 points and seven rebounds, and rookie Kristi Toliver added season highs of 22 points and seven assists off the bench as the Sky became the first visiting team to beat the Storm since June 16, 2008.

"It was a huge win for us, especially to get one on the road against Seattle," said Toliver, the third overall pick out of Maryland. "It's a tough place to play and we'd just come off four straight losses, so it was crucial for us to get this win."

Sylvia Fowles returned to Chicago's starting lineup Sunday after missing the entire losing streak because of a knee injury. The second-year center, averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds, was held to four points and five boards, but blocked two shots and her presence in the middle was enough to make a difference.

"It was defense for us," Dupree said. "The last game our defense was absolutely terrible and we gave up 30 points in the first quarter and we knew that was something we couldn't do with this team on the road. It was all on the defensive end where we were trying to get it done and our defense is what fuels our offense."

The Sky have lost their last four trips to Conseco Fieldhouse - including two last season - by an average of 8.3 points. They're 1-5 all-time on the road against the Fever.