Sparks pull off an impressive win against Liberty to snap losing streak

The Sparks finally grabbed a win after the Olympic break and did so in dramatic fashion, beating the league-leading Liberty.

The Sparks overcome the juggernaut that is the New York Liberty for one of their most inspiring wins of the season, 94-88, Wednesday night. The victory snapped the Sparks’ seven-game losing streak.

It was again the Rickea Jackson show as the rookie continued to impress for Los Angeles. She ended with 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Dearica Hamby scored 21 points with her seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Azurá Stevens had 10 points with five rebounds. Rae Burrell pitched in with 18 points off the bench and Odyssey Sims dropped 14 points and dished out seven assists.

The Sparks had their usual early dominant play, going up 4-0. Breanna Stewart then scored the first points for the Liberty. A steal from Jackson led to an excellent assist to Stevens for a layup which had LA up 6-2 and playing with high energy.

New York hadn’t established any momentum and Los Angeles extended their lead to nine. Jackson continued her fiery 3-point shooting, making three of her first four attempts. New York was struggling with turnovers, which helped the Sparks establish momentum.

LA was up 12 at the end of the first.

Hamby began the second period with a spin move leading to a layup as she fell to the ground. The Sparks were cooking, but the Liberty were slowly creeping back into the game. Still, LA’s lead stood at 11.

New York was on a 12-3 run and cut the deficit to five. The Liberty struggled heavily from behind the arc, only making two of their first 11 attempts. A 7-0 run from the Sparks took their lead up to 12 after the Liberty run.

New York made another push as the quarter winded down, but Los Angeles maintained the lead, 46-39, into halftime.

The Liberty extended their first-half run to 16-5 before a 3-pointer by Leonie Fiebich tied the game. Hamby drove to the basket for a layup to put LA back up by two.

The game became an intense back-and-forth with both teams fighting hard to shift the momentum in their favor. The Sparks had done well defending the Liberty, who struggled to get over the hump of constantly tying the game.

Los Angeles jumped ahead by five with a minute left in the quarter. New York then went on an 8-2 and jumped ahead by one, but a 3-pointer by Jackson and a layup by Hamby gave the Sparks a four-point lead at the end of the third.

LA started the final period with their eight turnovers, an impressive feat considering how much they usually struggle with turnovers. The Liberty cut the deficit to one with a 3-pointer by Sabrina Ionescu.

The young Sparks answered back and extended their lead to five. Burrell’s two 3-pointers were a huge spark off the bench. She was injecting life into LA and keeping them ahead. Another three by Burrell had the Sparks up nine.

The late fourth quarter woes were starting for Los Angeles as New York began making a run and cut the deficit to four. The Sparks were still hanging on to their lead, which extended to five after the Liberty’s turnover issues started again.

Burrell was up to 10 points in the fourth quarter and completed a three-point play to put LA up by eight. At the 2:16 mark, the Sparks were up 10 and finally looked like they figured out how to regain momentum.

The Liberty cut it to eight with 52 seconds left. While Stephanie Talbot did not have a good offensive game, her defense was important as she did the dirty work, including a tie-up that led to a jump ball on an Ionescu 3-point attempt.

Sims’ two free throws put them back up by 10, but Stewart answered with a layup and it was an eight-point game again. The Sparks turned the ball over and a three by Stewart made it a five-point game with 15 seconds left.

The fouls were all over the place for both teams, including a late foul on a Stewart 3-pointer, but the Sparks held on for the impressive win.

Key Takeaways:

Burrell’s performance off the bench gave the Sparks the energy they needed to help them get this much-needed win.

Jackson’s dominance as a rookie has been spectacular to witness this season. She’s looking more and more like a seasoned vet each game.

Well into the third quarter, the Sparks only had eight turnovers which was essential in helping them maintain their strong play. They did end the game with 12, but it didn’t matter.

Four of LA’s five starters scored in double digits. That is how you win a game!

The Sparks’ next game will be against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.