Atlanta Dream at Chicago Sky

Angel McCoughtry helps Dream dash playoff hopes of Sky

Armintie Price had 12 points and Erika DeSouza grabbed 10 rebounds for Atlanta (19-14), which has secured third place in the Eastern Conference. The Dream never trailed and won their fourth straight and seventh in the last eight.

"Tonight was a very good game we played," McCoughtry said. "Kudos to Armintie. ... I think everybody did a good job despite some quarrels. ... The team contributed very well tonight and we just want momentum for the playoffs."

Carolyn Swords scored 16 points to lead the seventh-year Sky (13-20), who never have made the postseason. Epiphanny Prince added 14, Shay Murphy had 12 and Courtney Vandersloot 10.

"Obviously, it was extremely disappointing with the outcome of the game, more specifically the defensive end of the floor," Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. "That's something we've talked about in several of our last games. You have to keep your man in front of you. At the end of the day, you've got to play from the tip to the horn, especially with some of the limitations we have because of player rotations. We didn't, and therefore we're done."

With a win Saturday against last-place Washington, Chicago can match its 14-20 mark from last year in Chatman's first season as coach and general manager.

"I think the biggest lesson is trying to help with creating a sense of urgency all the time," Chatman said. "They're pros. They know what's going on. We need to find a way to give the players the confidence to want the ball in their hands."

Price scored six points while Lindsey Harding added five as Atlanta led 21-13 through one quarter. Chicago pulled within three with 2:28 left in the second, but Atlanta closed with a 7-0 run to take a 41-31 lead at halftime.

The Sky again trimmed the Dream's lead to three points early in the third but the got no closer as Atlanta pushed to a 57-49 advantage by quarter's end. In the fourth, the Dream led by as many as 16 points and Chicago never got closer than nine.

"We're trying to get to 20 (wins) and keep winning," Lyttle said. "It keeps us motivated to go (further). We just need to stay focused and play as hard as we can play because the playoffs is a different scenario."

Chicago's Olympic center Sylvia Fowles missed her sixth straight game with a calf strain and will miss Saturday's season finale.

The Sky also announced this week that point guard Ticha Penicheiro is retiring. A 15-year veteran, she was named one of the league's top 15 players of all time in 2011.

Regular Season Series

ATL wins series 3-2