Final
Sun-Sky Preview
Jul 31, 2009 - 5:14 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS WriterConnecticut (9-8) at Chicago (9-10), 8:00 p.m. EDT
With a four-game stretch on the road beginning next week, the Chicago Sky have to take advantage of playing on their home court.
They've been doing that all season.
Chicago looks to tie a franchise record for home wins on Saturday night when it will try to take the season series versus the struggling Connecticut Sun for the first time.
Chicago (9-10), which opens its trip Wednesday at Eastern Conference leading-Indiana, hosts Connecticut for the second time in 2009. After consecutive wins over Atlanta and Seattle to open this year's home schedule, the Sky capped off a 3-0 homestand June 16 when they rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the visiting Sun 78-75.
"I don't know if this is a home court advantage," coach Steve Key told the Sky's official Web site following that victory. "I think anytime you play at home it's a home court advantage but for us I think it's real important that we win as many games as possible at home.
"I feel we want to reward our fans and we want other teams to say, 'when we go to Chicago that's going to be a tough game.'"
With a 75-63 victory against Los Angeles on Wednesday, Chicago recorded its first-ever home win over the Sparks and improved to 7-2 at the UIC Pavilion.
The Sky went a franchise-best 8-9 at home in 2008 when they finished 12-22.
Jia Perkins, who had a team-high 18 points in the victory over the Sparks, had nine in a 91-61 loss at Connecticut on June 19 that snapped the Sky's three-game winning streak. She leads the club with 15.5 points, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
A victory Saturday would give Chicago its first season series win over Connecticut after losing three of four to the Sun the last two seasons and dropping all three matchups in 2006.
Connecticut (9-8), which has lost two straight in Chicago, tries to avoid its third consecutive loss and is coming off Thursday's 94-85 overtime loss at Indiana.
Reigning Eastern Conference player of the week Asjha Jones, who is eighth in the league in scoring at 17.4 points per game, had 21 against the Fever but fouled out in the opening moments of overtime, when the Sun were outscored 10-1.
Jones is averaging 16.5 points and 7.0 rebounds against Chicago in 2009.
Coupled with Tuesday's 95-80 loss to Phoenix, the Sun have dropped two in a row when scoring 80-plus points after winning 12 straight when scoring at least that many.
- WNBA
CONNECTICUT 72
CHICAGO 84 FINAL
Aug 1 9:48 PM - WNBA
CONNECTICUT 16
CHICAGO 20 END, 1ST QTR
Aug 1 8:29 PM
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