Despite coming back from a 10-point deficit in the second half, the Sparks couldn’t complete the comeback, losing to the Sky 95-88 on Wednesday night.
LA is struggling to be consistent offensively with Kelsey Plum no longer on the team. They shot a woeful 36.8% in the first quarter. That, along with scoring droughts during each period, made it too difficult to pull out the road win.
The Sparks’ bench did find some offensive success. Cameron Brink and Jihyun Park combined for 18 points.
Ariel Atkins
had a hot start for LA, scoring five points. The offense was flowing well for Los Angeles, with everyone in the starting five, minus Nneka Ogwumike, scoring. Kamilla Cardoso and Aicha Coulibaly combined for eight points for Chicago.
The Sky were up by three at the 4:51 mark.
Newly acquired Monique Akoa Makani scored her first points as a Spark on a midrange jumper. Rae Burrell was a perfect 2-2 from behind the arc.
Rachel Banham came in for the Sky, and they went on a 6-0 run, giving them a double-digit lead. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by 14.
Dearica Hamby opened the second period with a layup for the Sparks. Erica Wheeler converted on a midrange jumper, further shaving points off the deficit. After, Jihyun Park drained a triple, the Sky called a timeout.
Out of the break, Jacy Sheldon knocked down a 3-pointer.
Hamby responded on the other end with a 3-pointer for herself. The Sky had cooled down in this quarter, shooting just 33%. Nneka, who only had two shot attempts, scored on a putback layup.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles’ offense had stagnated, and Chicago took advantage, going on a run to make it a double-digit lead. The Sparks had gone on a four-minute scoring drought until Nneka broke it with a layup.
At halftime, LA was down by 10.
Neither team could find offense to start the third period until Hamby was fouled and converted on both free throws. Hamby scored again, this time on a layup, to cut the deficit to six. The scoring run continued to grow for Los Angeles, prompting Chicago to call a timeout. Out of the break, LA stole the ball, but couldn’t score any points.
The Sky continued to be cold from the field, leading to Atkins splashing a triple that gave Los Angeles the lead. Chicago was shooting a brutal 22% from the field in the quarter.
Despite the strong quarter, the Sparks were down by four with 2:42 left.
Brink picked up her offense, scoring seven points, helping keep LA within striking distance. A pair of free throws from Burrell put Los Angeles in the lead by one at the end of the third.
The final frame began with Coulibaly completing a three-point play. The teams exchanged the lead until back-to-back turnovers by Los Angeles gave the Sky a three-point lead.
Brink was now in double figures with 11 points, all of which had come in the second half.
Chicago extended their lead to nine as LA suddenly lost steam. Atkins suffered an apparent injury and left the game to go to the locker room. With 4:21 left, it was a double-digit lead for the Sky. A small burst of scoring made it an eight-point deficit for Los Angeles with 3:13 left.
The Sparks didn’t have another run in them, though, resulting in another loss.
Key Player Stats:
Hamby finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Brink notched 11 points with six rebounds and three blocks. Burrell ended with 13 points and five assists. Nneka had 10 points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Wheeler pitched in with 14 points and five assists. Atkins scored eight points with three assists. Park logged seven points off the bench. Makani’s first game as a Spark ended with three points and two assists.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday at 6:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
