‘‘Panic’’ is the word Sky guard Courtney Williams used before the game Tuesday against the Storm to describe what personally was going to spark a sense of urgency.
But as the Sky spiraled into a five-game losing streak and out of playoff contention in the last two weeks, it isn’t enough for Williams alone to find that urgency.
On Tuesday, it wasn’t just Williams. The Sky (13-20) played like a team desperate to prevent their postseason hopes from taking an even bigger hit, snapping their skid with a 102-79 victory.
It was the fourth time this season they scored 100 or more points in regulation.
‘‘I think overall our team responded to the situation very well,’’ interim coach/general manager Emre Vatansever said.
The Sky went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead and led by as many as 31. Dana Evans led the way with 23 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. She was one point shy of her career high, which she scored against the Sparks in the season opener last year.
Marina Mabrey added 19 points and Alanna Smith 14 on a perfect night shooting from the field and the free-throw line.
‘‘She was aggressive,’’ Vatansever said of Evans. ‘‘We talked about it at the beginning of shootaround: I wanted my guards to be aggressive against them. We have to give her kudos. It wasn’t just scoring.’’
Vatansever said Evans’ playmaking was the most impressive aspect of her game and she finished with a team-high eight assists.
In the third quarter, Evans fouled Storm star Jewell Loyd, after which the two stood chest-to-chest and seemed to exchange words.
On the next trip downcourt, Evans sank a three-pointer. Loyd responded on the Storm’s next possession, blowing past multiple defenders for a layup. The two proceeded to exchange field goals and trips to the free-throw line for nearly a minute. They each finished with nine points in the third quarter.
Loyd led the Storm with 26 points, five assists and three rebounds.
‘‘Honestly, no,’’ Evans said when she was asked whether that third-quarter moment sparked any kind of motivation. ‘‘I was motivated from the jump. We talked about how crucial this game was. It’s a turning point. We needed this win. So, I think I came out with that mindset. I came out attacking.’’
With seven games left in the regular season and the ninth-place Sky trailing the eighth-place Sparks by a game, there’s no more time left for them to find the cohesiveness they’ve searched for all season.
Despite his team flailing in the last two weeks while others have found their rhythm, Vatansever said nothing drastic needs to change going into the final stretch. Instead, he continued to harp on his team just needing ‘‘to reach their full potential.’’
The game was one of Sky’s most complete efforts of the season. They entered the game averaging 14.7 turnovers and committed only five. In their 83-74 loss to the Storm last month, they gave up 26 points on second-chance looks. The Storm scored only 13 points off offensive rebounds Tuesday.
Still, it’s not enough for the Sky to put things together against the Storm. They need to keep things together in the final 2 1/2 weeks if they’re going to take back a playoff spot in their attempt to make a franchise-record fifth consecutive postseason appearance.
Among the Sky’s last seven games are a visit from the first-place Aces on Thursday, a critical road game against the Sparks on Tuesday and a home game against the second-place Liberty on Sept. 3. They close the regular season against the third-place Sun on Sept. 10.
