The Sparks picked up their first win in Commissioner’s Cup play, beating the Portland Fire 89-72 on Sunday afternoon.
Nneka Ogwumike started the offense off for LA early with a layup. Portland scored a quick four in a row soon after. Erica Wheeler was on fire from behind the arc for Los Angeles, knocking down two triples. It was Nneka who led the Sparks early, though, with seven points.
At the first timeout, LA was up by six, while also on an 8-0 scoring run.
Out of the break, Megan Gustafson converted on two free throws. Rae Burrell was another spark for the team, scoring seven points in the quarter. As a team, Los Angeles was scoring 50% from the field, while the Fire were shooting 23%.
The purple and gold were up by three at the end of the first.
Bridget Carleton started the second period by converting on two free throws for Portland. Nneka scored on the other end on a putback layup. Ariel Atkins was having a strong quarter for the Sparks, scoring four points.
Kelsey Plum surprisingly had yet to attempt a shot. Gustafson was now in double figures for the Fire with 10 points after a layup.
She started what ended up becoming an 8-0 scoring run that gave Portland the lead by one with 4:47 left until the end of the half. Plum’s first three points of the half came on free throws. Portland had the lead by two at halftime, after a jumper from Carla Leite.
Both teams started the third period missing their first shot attempts until Atkins scored on a layup. Plum attempted her first field goal of the game, a jumper, and scored. After Wheeler stole the ball, Hamby scored on a layup on the other end, forcing a timeout by the Fire. Portland had only taken two attempts so far and missed both.
Out of the break, the Fire couldn’t score.
Hamby was now in double figures for Los Angeles with 11 points. Leite scored the first points for the Fire in the quarter on a layup. Nneka and Plum were the only other Sparks in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
At the three-minute mark, LA had an eight-point lead.
Burrell’s productive minutes off the bench continued as she drained a triple. The Sparks were up by nine at the end of the third. They outscored Portland 23 to 12 in the quarter.
Kate Martin opened the final frame scoring on a layup for Los Angeles. Martin also knocked down a 3-pointer, providing a huge boost off the bench early for LA. The Sparks were now up by 14 after a steal by Plum led to a fastbreak layup from Hamby.
The Fire called a timeout, and out of the break, they turned the ball over.
On the other end, Plum scored on a pull-up jumper. Los Angeles picked up their defensive play, which made Portland look out of sync and completely lost. The lead ballooned to 18 for LA with 5:30 left.
A quick four points gave the Fire a small ounce of life. Carleton knocked down a 3-pointer for Portland, but it was Los Angeles that still had the commanding lead with 1:53 left.
Gustafson scored four in a row, but it didn’t matter as Nneka and Hamby put the finishing touches on the win with a 5-0 run.
Key Player Stats
Nneka finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dearica Hamby ended with 22 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Plum had 16 points with five rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Wheeler notched six points with four assists. Burrell had 10 points off the bench. Atkins scored six points with two rebounds and two assists. Cameron Brink was in foul trouble and logged two points. Martin pitched in with five points off the bench.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday at 7:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
