With the score tied in the final seconds, former Sky guard Marina Mabrey drove before finding Sun forward Alyssa Thomas cutting to the rim. Thomas was fouled and made two free throws with four seconds left to give the Sun the lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Sky couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer sounded as Sun guard DiJonai Carrington hounded guard Lindsay Allen.
The Sun’s poise and execution down the stretch were the difference in their 82-80 victory Friday against the Sky in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The Sky (11-17) held a six-point lead in the fourth quarter but saw it dwindle because of turnovers, some stagnation on offense and constant fouling. The Sun (21-7) showed the resolve of a team with championship aspirations.
Mabrey got off to a hot start — she made four three-pointers and had 15 points at halftime — and finished with 24 points to lead the Sun, who took advantage of Mabrey’s shooting ability by running her off screens, which confused a switching Sky defense.
‘‘We didn’t really do what we talked about doing in practice and shootaround and according to the scouting report,’’ Allen said. ‘‘Just locking in on that and continuing to do it consistently has been an issue for us all season.’’
The Sun also shot 36 free throws, making 26.
‘‘Everything was [a problem] defensively,’’ Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. ‘‘When you’re fouling, putting them at the free-throw line, that’s tough for us. We want to defend without fouling, and we had some defensive miscues letting people be wide-open. That’s definitely not who we are defensively.’’
The Sky committed 16 turnovers, leading to 27 points by the Sun. Those turnovers played a huge role in the Sky going from a seven-point lead in the first quarter to trailing by 10 at halftime.
And turnovers are especially costly when they lead directly to baskets for the other team. A veteran-laden team such as the Sun knows how to take advantage of miscues, exploiting even the slightest misstep and turning it into an advantage.
‘‘We were not finding the open players, having to turn it over, and fell into their aggression a little bit,’’ Weatherspoon said, ‘‘instead of just taking care of the ball and finding the open person.’’
Close games might benefit the Sky in the long run, but they are brutal now as they cling to their playoff lives. The Sky lead the Dream by one game in the battle for the last playoff spot.
The loss spoiled a strong performance from rookie center Kamilla Cardoso, who had 18 points and six rebounds. Allen, who had 14 points and six assists, succeeded in finding Cardoso in the second half. Angel Reese added 13 points and 20 rebounds.
The Sky showed in flashes that they could compete with one of the best teams in the league, but Weatherspoon isn’t into moral victories.
‘‘Everyone speaks about that we’re young, we’re growing,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘Yes, we’re young and we’re growing, but we’re competitors. Those young women are incredible competitors, and they want to win.
‘‘You’re not the happiest because you want a ‘W,’ but we’ll take the film and learn from all those things that we need to be even better at.’