The Sparks pulled off a stunner on Sunday, rallying from a 17-point second-half deficit to win at the buzzer on a Nneka Ogwumike 3-pointer, downing the Liberty, 98-97.
LA trailed by 17 in the second half but used a couple of runs, including a pivotal 12-1 stretch in the fourth, to eventually take the lead. A back-and-forth final few minutes included the Sparks coming up empty on a couple of late possessions.
However, missed free throws from Breanna Stewart kept the door open and Nneka buried the winner
from the wing at the buzzer.
The Sparks survived a rare off night from Kelsey Plum by placing six players in double figures. LA turned 16 New York turnovers into 14 points and outscored the Liberty in the paint 60-42.
The triples were connecting early for New York as they drained a pair. All the starters for LA scored an early bucket, save for Nneka Ogwumike. Ariel Atkins knocked down the first three for Los Angeles.
At the 4:36 mark, the purple and gold were down by two.
Marine Johannes and Kelsey Plum exchanged a few buckets back and forth. Johannes had turned the jets on, scoring seven off the bench for the Liberty. Plum finished the frame with seven points of her own to lead the Sparks.
At the end of the first, LA was down by 10.
Erica Wheeler opened the second period for Los Angeles with a triple. Sabally responded with a three of her own on the other end. After Rebekah Gardner scored on a layup, the Sparks called a timeout.
LA went on a quick 9-3 run to cut the deficit to six. Nneka was leading the charge with four points. Los Angeles’ Laura Ziegler scored her first two points of her young career. Wheeler now had eight for the half after converting on a three-point play.
A 3-pointer from Leonie Fiebich stopped some of the bleeding for the Liberty.
New York picked up its defensive effort, leading to an 8-2 run, moving in front by double figures again. Kiana Williams put a stop to the run with a 3-pointer. Rae Burrell provided a spark with five straight points for the Sparks.
It was New York, though, who had the momentum and a lead of 12 going into halftime.
Atkins drained a 3-pointer to start the third period for LA. Jonquel Jones responded on the other end with a triple. Atkins then tried another and missed, leading to Jones splashing yet another one of her own. Los Angeles was forced to call a timeout after Fiebich knocked down a three.
Out of the break, Nneka converted on a layup. She scored another four points, making it a perfect 4-4 from the field in this period.
LA had a hard time on defense, which allowed New York to maintain its lead. Plum was having a rare off-night from behind the arc, making just one out of six attempts.
Burrell was up to 14 points off the bench. Los Angeles made a push, scoring eight in a row to make it a six-point deficit going into the fourth.
Atkins began the final frame with a reverse layup for the Sparks. Sabrina Ionescu responded on the other end with a floater for New York. The teams exchanged baskets, pushing the tempo.
Burrell knocked down her second triple of the game. LA had six players in double figures.
At the 6:11 mark, it was a three-point deficit for LA as they pieced together a big run to pull back into the game, forcing a Liberty timeout.
Wheeler then drained a 3-pointer to tie the game. Sabally put New York back in the lead at the line, but a layup from Nneka gave Los Angeles the lead with 3:42 left, helping cap off a 12-1 run. With the game winding down, the Sparks only had nine turnovers.
Nneka converted on a jumper that was followed by a triple from Jones that tied the game. Breanna Stewart put the Liberty back in the lead. Nneka tied the game with a layup.
After a three-point play from Pauline Astier, Nneka tied the game again with a massive triple with 1:27 left. Astier converted on free throws, giving New York the lead once more.
Burrell missed a 3-pointer on the other end but the Sparks forced a 24-second violation on the other end.
Plum, though, missed on a 3-pointer. Stewart was fouled and converted on one of two from the charity stripe, making it a three-point lead.
Wheeler pulled up for a three and couldn’t connect. Burrell was then fouled after getting the rebound and made both free throws. With 10.3 seconds left, the Liberty had a one-point lead and the ball.
Stewart was fouled and converted on one of two free throws. With eight seconds to go, Wheeler pushed the ball upcourt after the made freebie and found Nneka, who drained the game winning 3-pointer.
Key Player Stats
Nneka scored 24 points with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Burrell had 19 points off the bench, shooting 5-10 from the field.
Plum finished with 12 points and seven assists. Hamby ended with 12 points and eight rebounds. Wheeler chipped in with 15 points and five assists. Atkins had 10 points with four rebounds and two assists.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Toronto Tempo on Thursday at 4:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
