Tamika Catchings scores 16 points as Fever hold on to beat Sky 58-51

Catchings scores 16 as Fever hold off Sky 58-51

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Tamika Catchings scored 16 points and the Indiana Fever held on for their fourth straight win over Chicago with a 58-51 victory over the Sky on Tuesday night.

Catchings scored 10 points and the Fever (10-6) shot over 78 percent (11 of 14) from the field in the first quarter.

Sylvia Fowles scored 26 points, Tully Bevilaqua had 13 and Jessica Davenport added 10 for Chicago.

Indiana took a 39-21 lead into halftime, but Chicago (8-10) got nine points from Fowles during a 16-0 run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 45-43 entering the fourth.

“We made some adjustments down the stretch and didn’t let Sylvia score,” said Fever coach Lin Dunn. “She was really hurting us … In crunch time our goal was to make somebody else score because she was hurting us so much.”

Chicago’s Cathrine Kraayeveld hit a hook shot early in the fourth to tie it at 47, but the Fever pulled away with a 9-2 run.

“I was disappointed that we couldn’t use the energy from the third quarter that we created to pull off an upset,” said Chicago coach Steven Key. “Because the way we played in the first half, that’s all you could ever call it if we pulled this one out.

“It’s a little frustrating to play a team that was in the finals last year and you try to beat them by playing only one quarter in a game. It’s not going to happen.”

Indiana is 15-4 all-time against Chicago and has lost once in the last nine meetings.