Photo Credit: Vicente Cardenas

In front of 6,244 fans at the AT&T Center on June 7, the Silver Stars defeated the Chicago Sky 81 – 69, snapping the Sky’s 3-game winning streak.

Silver Stars guard Jia Perkins entered the game against the Chicago Sky with 2,987 points, just 13 points shy of a career milestone.

When the first half ended, Perkins had missed all 5 of the shots she took – not quite the shooting performance one would expect of a player with 2,987 points. By games end, Perkins would score the 13 points needed to reach the 3,000 points plateau.

“She really didn’t have a Jia like first half,” said Silver Stars Head Coach Dan Hughes. “I just like players that as the game moves on they self correct. It was really fun for me to watch us being able to play through Jia.”

Perkins, after asking for a little help from the man upstairs at half time, shot 2-for-3 to start the third quarter. She finished the quarter with seven 7 points and shot 3-for-5 from the field.

“I had to go back into the locker room and pray to God, ‘Help me, help me.’ Then I came out and I had to keep shooting,” said Perkins.

While Perkins was playing through a poor first-half shooting performance, the rest of the Stars were relying heavily on what they do best – play defense.

Elena Delle Donne, second overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, struggled against the physical defense of DeLisha Milton-Jones. Milton-Jones held the rookie sensation to just 5-for-15 shooting from the field. Delle Donne, however, led Chicago in scoring with 17 points.

“The Silver Stars were aggressive from the beginning of the game on both ends of the floor,” Chicago coach Pokey Chatman said. “They set the tone, and we were fighting to get back into it. We did finally show a little bit of toughness, but we never could get over the hump.”

The Sky had only Perkins to thank for that. She scored 13 of her points all in the second half. As the Sky made one last rally, Perkins scored on three of four offensive possessions, sealing the victory for the Stars and extending their winning streak to two games.

Stars’ guard Danielle Robinson led the team with 18 points, seven assists, and four steals. Danielle Adams, Stars’ forward, contributed 13 points while Milton-Jones added 10 points of her own.

The Silver Stars and Sky will meet again on Sunday, June 9, in Chicago. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.