Los Angeles Sparks find their spark with Joe Bryant; Beat
San Antonio Silver Stars 84-74: WNBA Recap
On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Sparks finally snapped a five game losing streak with an 84-74 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars 84-74 at the AT&T Center.
It was Joe Bryant first game as a head coach and he made an immediate impact, extending San Antonio’s current losing streak to three games.
Ticha Penicheiro came off the bench with a team-high 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Los Angeles. The 36-year-old guard shot 7 for 9 from the field on the night.
Natasha Lacy scored 13 points, shooting 6 for 8 from the floor, grabbed four rebounds and had three steals in the victory. Ebony Hoffman and Jantel Lavender added 12 points each for Los Angeles, who played their fourth consecutive
game of the season without the leading scorer Candace Parker, who is out with a knee injury.
Sophia Young tried to will the Silver Stars to victory, but she fell short in the end. Young recorded a double-double with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. The 27-year-old forward pinned 6 of 8 free throws. Danielle Adams
totalled 16 points and eight rebounds while Jia Perkins ended the game with 14 points and two steals.
Los Angeles shot 53.7 percent (36 for 67) from the field and 35.7 percent (5 for 14) from three-point range. San Antonio, on the other hand, ended with just 35.5 percent (27 for 76) shooting, including 18.2 percent (4 for 22) from
3-point range.
San Antonio pulled away a 7-2 lead early in the first quarter before Los Angeles responded with five consecutive points to tie the game at 7. However, San Antonio again reeled off a 6-2 spurt capped by Young’s jumper to make it
13-9.
Thompson and Hoffman responded though drove to the rim to tie the game at 13-13 with 04:24 to go in the opening period. The Sparks turned it on in the period that followed and went on a 10-2 run to take a 23-15 advantage into the
second period.
The Silver Stars made a comeback in the second quarter and tied the game deep. Lacy however slipped in a layup in the closing seconds of the half and put Sparks ahead by 43-41.
Los Angeles stretched their lead to seven points, 55-48, with 04:41 to go in the third quarter. San Antonio again responded with seven unanswered points to knot the game at 55-55. However, the Sparks broke the game open with a
10-2 spurt and raced to a 65-57 lead after three.
The hosts did not get any closer than six points in the fourth quarter and the Sparks held on for perhaps their most impressive victory of this season.
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