Sky hit late free throws to top Sun

UNCASVILLE — Emma Meesseman scored 20 of her 26 points in the first half, Candace Parker added 18 points and the Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 83-79 on Friday night in a rematch of the WNBA Finals.

Parker made two free throws with 28.4 seconds left for an 80-79 lead. After a timeout, Courtney Williams missed a shot in the lane and Parker was fouled again before making two free throws for a threepoint lead with 12.9 left. Rebekah Gardner, a 31year-old rookie, stole a pass under the basket and added another free throw to seal it.

Gardner finished with 14 points for Chicago (8-4). Courtney Vandersloot had eight points and eight assists, and Allie Quigley moved into 17th place in WNBA history for made 3-pointers.

Meesseman, averaging 10.9 points, scored 20 in the first half on 9-of-10 shooting. Her three-point play capped the first-half scoring to give Chicago a 45-44 lead.

Brionna Jones scored 20 points and DeWanna Bonner added 18 for Connecticut (10-4), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Alyssa Thomas had 11 points and eight assists.

Bonner made her first 3-pointer of the game to pull Connecticut within 78-77 and she made a jumper on the next possession for a one-point lead.

LIBERTY 97, FEVER 83

INDIANAPOLIS — Natasha Howard had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Stefanie Dolson scored all nine of her points in a pivotal third quarter and the New York Liberty rolled to a 97-83 victory over the Indiana Fever on Friday night.

New York (5-8) trailed 43-38 at halftime, but Sami Whitcomb opened the third-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer to pull the Liberty within two. Crystal Dangerfield’s pull-up jumper gave the Liberty a 47-46 lead. Dolson’s scoring flurry over a span of 1:43 stretched the lead to 61-54 with 4 minutes left in the period and Indiana (3-12) never got closer than four.

Howard sank 12 of 16 shots from the floor with a 3-pointer and added five assists for the Liberty, who picked up their second road win in six tries. Han Xu scored 16 in 16 minutes off the bench. Sabrina Ionescu tallied 13 points.