Out of the FIBA break, the Sparks battled hard for three quarters before getting blown out in the fourth, falling to the Wings 97-77.
LA trailed just 62-58 late in the third, but gave up a 7-0 run to end the frame before being outscored 28-19 in the final frame.
Dallas started hot, going up by five early. Dearica Hamby put LA on the board with a layup. Los Angeles picked up momentum and took the lead. Hamby was leading the Sparks with four points. Paige Bueckers had eight for the Wings. Rae Burrell
started to heat up for LA with six points.
At the 4:40 mark, the purple and gold were up by one.
The Sparks scored seven in a row, adding cushion to their lead. Aziaha James came in and scored five for Dallas. Both teams were having a strong game inside the paint, scoring an even 12 points. Los Angeles had the upper hand in fastbreak points, 7-5.
The game was tied at the end of the first.
Alysha Clark started the second period with a layup for Dallas. She brought the energy off the bench for the Wings, scoring again on a triple. Burrell put up another four points, pushing her total to 10 for the half. She and Hamby were the only players in double figures for the Sparks.
Neither team could build up momentum or consistency with offense in the period.
The Wings were having a hard time defending Los Angeles in the paint in this quarter with LA scoring 12-2. The Sparks ended the first half shooting 40% from the field and 36% from behind the arc. Nneka Ogwumike was up to 11 points with her six rebounds.
At halftime, the game was tied again.
Nneka started the third period with a turnaround jumper for Los Angeles. On the other end, multiple turnovers gave Dallas a few chances to score, but they missed. Neither team looked good offensively to start. Arike Ogunbowale put the Wings on the board with a triple.
Both teams showed obvious rust and looked discombobulated.
As soon as they picked up their offense, the teams traded the lead. Arike was heating up, scoring four points. Maddy Siegrist knocked down a three, which put Dallas up by five.
LA called a timeout. Out of the break, Aaliyah Nye knocked down a 3-pointer, giving her six points in her Sparks debut.
At the 1:31 mark, Dallas was up four.
The Wings ended the quarter with Awak Kuier scoring five points and Odyssey Sims scoring on a layup. Dallas led by 11 going into the fourth period.
LA immediately called a timeout to start the final frame as Dallas came out still on fire, scoring four in a row. Out of the break, Clark converted on a technical free throw after coach Lynne Roberts was assessed a tech. The Wings were a perfect 5-5 from the field in the quarter, while Los Angeles struggled to find rhythm.
The rest of the quarter happened.
Key Player Stats
Nneka finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Burrell added 12 points with four assists. Hamby ended with 14 points and four rebounds.
Cameron Brink logged nine points with five rebounds, two steals and four blocks. In her Sparks debut, Nye scored six points with three rebounds.
The Sparks’ next game will be Sunday against the Portland Fire at 4:00 PM PT
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
