Candace Parker lifts Sky over Liberty for 6th straight win
Sun defeat WIngs; Tina Charles scores 34 as Mystic snap Storm's win streak
Candace Parker had 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead the Chicago Sky to a 92-72 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
It was the sixth consecutive win for the Sky (8-7), matching the franchise record set in 2012 and equalled in 2013.
The Sky improved to 7-0 with Parker in the lineup this season. She missed seven games with an ankle injury before returning and steadying a struggling Chicago offence.
Chicago led 25-20 in the second quarter before Parker sparked a 23-12 burst to close the half. She had nine points, six rebounds and three assists during the game-changing spurt. The former MVP, who is playing her first season in her hometown of Chicago, finished the half with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The <a href="https://twitter.com/Candace_Parker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Candace_Parker</a> effect 🔥<br><br>CP notched 14 PTS, 10 REB in the first half <a href="https://t.co/uLjIjxaDky">pic.twitter.com/uLjIjxaDky</a>
—@WNBAThe Sky opened the third quarter with a 7-2 run and never looked back.
Betnijah Laney scored 18 points to lead New York (7-7), which returned home after splitting four games on a West Coast swing. Sabrina Ionescu added six points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The teams will meet again on Thursday.
Bonner, Charles lead Sun past Wings
Brionna Jones had a career-high 26 points, DeWanna Bonner scored 14 of her 25 points in the third quarter, and the Connecticut Sun beat the Dallas Wings 80-70 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Connecticut (9-5) won for the first time this season without Jonquel Jones, who is playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIBA European Championships.
Bonner also had 13 rebounds and six assists. Kaila Charles recorded her first double-double with 12 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, and Jasmine Thomas scored 11 for the Sun.
Connecticut turned it over nine times in the first half, and only scored 10 points in the second quarter. The Sun had just three turnovers in the second half, and scored 28 points in the third.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 18 points and Satou Sabally added 16 for Dallas (6-8).
The Dallas bench combined to score 16 points in the first half to help the Wings build a 38-30 lead. Dallas shot 51.5 per cent from the field in the first half, but finished at 44.3 per cent.
Mystics snap Storm's win streak
Tina Charles had 34 points, 16 rebounds and five assists, and the short-handed Washington Mystics made 16 3-pointers in an 87-83 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.
Charles rebounded a miss by Breanna Stewart and got it to Leilani Mitchell, who made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left for a four-point advantage. After a timeout, Seattle was off on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Charles, who finished two points shy of tying a career high, became the first player in WNBA history with 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in back-to-back games. Charles also passed Lisa Leslie for eighth on the league's career scoring list.
They still had Charles though, who has had a stellar first season with Washington. She had 17 points and five rebounds in the first half to help Washington build a 43-36 lead. She added 12 points in the third quarter, making all five of her shots.
Jewell Loyd led Seattle (12-3) with 23 points and nine assists. Stewart had 17 points and eight rebounds and Mercedes Russell and Candice Dupree each scored 10 for the Storm, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Dupree moved into fourth on the WNBA career scoring list, passing Cappie Pondexter, and Loyd reached 3,000 career points.
