Candace Parker notches first double-double with Sky in win over Fever

INDIANAPOLIS — Candace Parker had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Allie Quigley scored six of her season-high 16 points in the final two minutes to help the Sky beat the Fever 83-79 on Saturday.

Quigley’s three-pointer with 1:50 left gave the Sky (4-7) the lead for good at 80-77. She made 1 of 2 free throws 19 seconds later and hit a jumper in the lane to cap the scoring with 49 seconds left.

Parker notched her 135th career double-double and first with the Sky. She trails Sylvia Fowles, Tina Charles and Lisa Leslie on the WNBA’s all-time double-doubles list. With four assists, Parker moved into 12th on the league’s all-time list with 1,341.

The Sky have won two consecutive games, both against the Fever, with Parker back in the lineup. She missed eight games with an ankle injury, the last seven of which were losses. Parker said she’s still rounding into form.

“I had practiced just one time before the last game [Wednesday],” she said. “This time, the game helped me get my legs underneath me. My legs felt better. It wasn’t like I was running through mud like I felt the other day. I don’t think I’m anywhere close to where I need to be.”

Kahleah Copper had 14 points and Stefanie Dolson 11 for the Sky, who beat the Fever (1-11) for the ninth time in their last 11 meetings, including the last five in a row. Teaira McCowan led the Fever with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Indiana had a 10-2 run in the third quarter to erase most of its nine-point deficit from early in the period. The Sky’s four-point margin of victory was the largest lead by either team during the fourth quarter.

After scoring 56 points and shooting 54.5% in the first half, the Sky scored 27 points and shot 30% in the second. They also committed 11 turnovers in the second half after committing only five in the first. Parker had a team-high six.

“We missed some shots we have to make,” Sky coach and general manager James Wade said. “We made some careless turnovers. A lot of it was lack of focus in the second half. We ended up being OK, but good teams can’t allow themselves to get in those ruts.”

Parker played 30 minutes, 15 seconds after playing only 17:48 on Wednesday, when she had only three points (1-for-9 shooting) and five rebounds. She said she’s still getting acquainted with her new teammates.

“Up until this point, I hadn’t played many minutes with Allie,” Parker said. “Normally, I play with Kah [Kahleah Copper] and Diamond [DeShields]. It’s just a different way. I didn’t play with Z [Azura Stevens] until today. We’re gonna have to do that through game action because we don’t have a lot of practices.”

Though Parker, 35, has recovered from the ankle injury, she said her body still requires maintenance.

“I’m gonna go [in the] ice tub after this,” Parker said during the postgame media session. “I’m glad we’re taking a bus back because I’ll be able to ice continuously. The ankle kept me out, but that 35 [minutes of playing time] when you come back is other things. You gotta take care of your knees, can’t forget about your back. I’m trying to treat my body to feel as good as I can when we play.”

The Sky visit the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, the first of three games in five days.