The Sparks earned their second straight win, beating the Chicago Sky 102-87 on Friday night.
Los Angeles has slowly been gaining momentum, with Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink still out. All five starters were in double figures for Los Angeles. They shot 51% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.
Dearica Hamby got the offense going early for LA with a three-point play. Los Angeles struggled to contain Kamilla Cardoso, who was dominating in the paint. She had six points for the Sky. Ariel Atkins
and Erica Wheeler were having a strong quarter, scoring a combined 13 of the Sparks’ first 21 points. Jacy Sheldon drained two triples for Chicago.
At the 5:03 mark, LA was up by seven.
Gabriela Jaquez provided instant offense for the Sky with five quick points. Rae Burrell was a perfect 2-2 from behind the arc. Los Angeles was shooting 61% from the field and 50% from three. Despite the strong offensive display from the Sparks, it was the Sky who were leading after the first by one point.
Chicago’s Aicha Coulibaly started the second period converting on one of two free throws after being fouled. She also scored on a midrange jumper in the paint. Atkins gave Los Angeles their first points of the quarter on a triple.
Wheeler was leading all scorers with 12 points after draining her second 3-pointer of the half. At the 5:56 mark, the Sparks were ahead by one.
Atkins was the second Spark in double figures with 11 points. Chicago attempted to build momentum in their favor, scoring four in a row. Wheeler stopped that with a triple for LA. Nneka Ogwumike surged with a quick five points. The Sparks were up by six with 2:21 left in the first half.
Nneka added to her strong quarter with a layup, pushing her point total to 10. She was the third Spark in double figures. At halftime, the purple and gold were up by five.
The third period began with both teams missing their first shot attempts, then Natasha Cloud drained a triple for the Sky. It was LA, though, who still had all the momentum,
despite both teams playing well offensively. Burrell knocked down her third 3-pointer of the game. Hamby was now the fourth Spark in double figures with 11 points.
Out of a Sky timeout, Chicago turned the ball over and Atkins scored on a jumper on the other end.
Former Spark Azura Stevens scored five for the Sky. Emma Cannon was the only bench player for the Sparks that had productive minutes, scoring five points. Los Angeles was up by three at the end of the third. Burrell was one more point away from making all five starts in double figures for LA.
Cannon started the final frame by converting on an impressive layup. The Sparks built a five-point lead early. Nneka nailed her first triple of the night, further extending LA’s lead. Burrell then splashed a 3-pointer of her own. It forced a timeout from Chicago.
Out of the break, Stevens drained a 3-pointer.
The Sky cut their deficit to five, forcing Los Angeles to call a timeout. Nneka splashed her second 3-pointer of the night, giving the Sparks an eight-point lead with 5:10 left.
Nneka knocked down yet another 3-pointer, seemingly putting an end to any comeback attempt by the Sky with 2:19 left. A triple from Sydney Taylor gave Chicago a second of life, but the Sparks were up by double figures with 1:15 left in the game. LA ended the fourth on a 12-3 scoring run.
Key Player Stats:
Wheeler led the charge in the first half with 15 points. She also finished with two rebounds and eight assists. Atkins ended with 17 points, six assists and three steals. Nneka exploded in the second half, ending with 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Hamby logged 17 points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Burrell pitched in with 17 points and four assists. Cannon had a nice game off the bench with nine points.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Atlanta Dream on Monday at 4:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
