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Thorn leads Sky past struggling Sparks, 80-68

Jul 17, 2010 - 4:07 AM ROSEMONT, Ill.(AP) -- Reserve guard Erin Thorn scored 15 points to lead the Chicago Sky to an 80-68 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night.

Tamera Young, Dominique Canty and rookie Epiphanny Prince each scored 11 points, and Sylvia Fowles and Mistie Bassed added 10 for Chicago (10-11), which won for the fifth time in eight games.

DeLisha Milton-Jones had 21 points, Tina Thompson scored 15 and Noelle Quinn added 12 for the Sparks (5-14), who lost for the third time in four games.

"The confidence level is going up," Sky coach Steven Key said. "You start to see more smiles. Every now and then they'll make a mistake, but at least it's not two or three mistakes in a row and somebody makes a run

"It's a confidence boost all the way around when you win."

Chicago opened a 30-19 lead early in the second quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage most of the rest of the way. Canty's jumper gave the Sky a 69-48 lead, their biggest of the game, with about 6 1/2 minutes left.

Candace Parker, who starred in high school in nearby Naperville before leading Tennessee to two national championships, sat on the Sparks bench. Parker is out for the season with a shoulder injury sustained last month.

"We didn't come out in the first half with the energy that we needed to and we did not match their intensity," Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom said. "They did a really good job on the boards tonight and we didn't. Our shots just weren't falling tonight and it seemed like everything they put up went in for them. It was just a tough night."

After Ticha Penicheiro's jumper gave the Sparks an 8-7 lead midway through the first quarter, the Sky scored nine consecutive points to take the lead for good.

Thorn's 3 extended the lead to 35-21 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter. Chicago scored nine consecutive points to open the fourth quarter to take their 21-point lead.

"That's why I'm in the league, it's because I can make those types of shots," Thorn said. "They're going down for me right now and it makes it much easier because Syl is pounding inside."