Highlights:
AT&T Center – The San Antonio Stars got off to another slow start on Friday night and all signs pointed to another loss. That is, until Haley Peters stepped onto the court.
Peters scored 16 points as she led the Stars to a 79-78 win over the Chicago Sky in front of 5,210 fans at the AT&T Center for their first victory of the season.
All 16 of Peters’ points came in the fourth quarter as San Antonio outscored Chicago 28-16 in the final ten minutes. Monique Currie added 13 points, while Kayla McBride and Kayla Alexander each chipped in 10.
“We went in the first half, and I thought what we were trying to do defensively was solid, and then they just out rebounded the heck out of us,” Stars coach Dan Hughes said. “We had a hard time I think dealing with that. In the second half I think we competed to rebound better.”
San Antonio shot 20 percent in the first quarter and trailed by nine at halftime. Currie sparked the Stars with two three’s in the quarter. Peters took over in the fourth and sparked her team. She got started with a three-point play, then by a 3-pointer, then two free throws and another three-point play.
The rookie even got reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne as she drove the lane forcing Delle Donne to pick up her sixth and final foul.
I just tried to be aggressive all game, and the first half my shots weren’t falling,” Peters said after the game. “I know what my role is on offense, and I try to just stay in it and stay confident. The more you miss shots, you just have to make sure your confidence stays there, so that’s what I was trying to get myself to do.”
San Antonio shot 61 percent in the final quarter and held Chicago to just 18 points.
The Sky were led by Delle Donne’s game-high 27 points. Allie Quigley added 16 and Erika de Souza chipped in 10 along with nine rebounds.
“I thought when San Antonio attacked us we didn’t defend well without fouling,” Chicago coach Pokey Chapman said. “We put them on the free throw line 27 times, and that’s difficult to do. So the bottom line is we didn’t get off to a great start, and couple that with 22 personal fouls for 27 free throws.”
Up next: The Stars are now 1-3 on the season and will hit the road to California to face Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks next Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. inside Staples Center.
