After leading for much of the second half, the Sparks played out a similar pattern, conceding a big run to the Mystics in the fourth quarter on Saturday to fall, 80-70.
LA led by as many as six in the final frame, but Washington chipped away and eventually built up a multi-possession lead of its own. Unable to execute down the stretch, the Sparks dropped their third straight game and 10th in their last 12 games.
Cameron Brink missed the contest due to a rib injury suffered in the loss to the Liberty.
Nneka Ogwumike got the offense going early by scoring on a runner down the paint. Michaela Onyenwere put the Mystics on the board with a layup. Nneka was leading the Sparks with seven points. Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron combined for nine points for Washington.
At the 4:42 mark, LA was down by four. Iriafen was the first Mystic in double figures with 10 points. Nneka was up to 10 as well for the Sparks. Tonie Morgan and Emma Cannon had productive minutes, combining for nine points off the bench for the Sparks.
The first period ended with the purple and gold down by three.
Alissa Pili saw her first minutes in over a month and drained a triple to start the second quarter. Dearica Hamby put Los Angeles ahead with a layup. Cotie McMahon went on a personal scoring run to give Washington control of the game again.
With 8:10 left, it was a two-point deficit for the Sparks.
Citron was close to double figures for the Mystics with eight points. Despite missed shots here and there, LA was still very much in it as they were shooting 44% from the field. The battle in the paint was extremely one-sided with the Mystics up 34-16.
Rae Burrell knocked down her second triple to help make it a two-point deficit for Los Angeles at halftime.
The Sparks opened the third period draining back-to-back triples from Erica Wheeler and Burrell. Hamby also scored on a layup that forced an early timeout from Washington.
Burrell was now in double figures with 11 points.
Iriafen helped the Mystics chip away at Los Angeles’ lead, scoring another four points. The team was on a 7-0 scoring run and had cut the deficit to two. LA still had no answer for how to defend the paint as Washington led 42-22 in that battle.
The Sparks allowed four straight points as the quarter was winding down but still nursed a three-point lead heading into the fourth.
Pili drained a 3-pointer to start the final frame for LA. Citron answered on the other end with a triple herself. Washington was having a strong quarter, shooting 66% from the field. They retook the lead by one.
Los Angeles was 1-4 from the field.
Citron started heating up for the Mystics, scoring four points. At the 4:04 mark, the Sparks were down by three. The game slipped away from LA as Washington extended their lead to double figures and the Sparks never recovered.
Key Player Stats
Burrell had 20 points with three rebounds and three assists. Nneka finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Hamby pitched in with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Morgan had a productive game off the bench, scoring seven points and dishing six dimes. Wheeler scored six points with two assists. Pili logged six points.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday at 4:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
