Sparks unable to complete comeback against Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury took control of the game in the second half, handing the Sparks their second loss in a row.

The Sparks dropped their second consecutive game, falling to the Mercury by a score of 89–86.

Kelsey Plum scored 25 points and had three rebounds, six assists and two steals. Azurá Stevens ended with 23 points and 17 rebounds. Dearica Hamby had 15 points with seven rebounds and two assists. Odyssey Sims pitched in with eight points, three rebounds and four assists.

With Rickea Jackson out due to concussion protocol, Sarah Ashlee Barker was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time in her career and scored two points with four assists.

Each team started evenly matched offensively. Dearica was on fire early, scoring the first four points for the Sparks.

Kelsey then began to heat up, draining two 3-pointers. Stevens got in on the scoring with a 3-pointer of her own. Satou Sabally had seven of the 13 points for the Mercury.

At the first timeout, it was a tied game. Out of that break, Alyssa Thomas knocked down a three to put Phoenix ahead. Julie Allemand saw her first minutes of the season and scored a 3-pointer.

The Mercury were rebounding at a high level, leading to more shot opportunities, which they converted. They were ahead by four at the end of the quarter.

Phoenix struck first in the second quarter with Kalani Brown converting on a layup. They then went on a 9-0 scoring run, while the Sparks couldn’t knock down a bucket. It forced a much-needed timeout to stop the bleeding.

Out of the break, Azurá scored on a layup. L.A. was playing with a better sense of urgency and cut the deficit to three after eight straight points. They were now shooting 47% from the field, while the Mercury shot 46%.

L.A. continued to chip away at the deficit, and after a pair of Stevens free throws, they retook the lead.

Monique Akoa Makani drained a 3-pointer for Phoenix. Azurá and Sabally got tangled up on a rebound, resulting in a technical foul by Azurá, who threw the ball back at Sabally after what appeared to be a shove.

The Mercury responded well, slowly creeping back into the game on the shoulders of Kitija Laksa, who had six points and Makani, with eight points. Liatu King scored on a putback layup to make it a four-point game at halftime.

Shots were not falling for either team to start the second half, until Kathryn Westbeld and Sami Whitcomb drained back-to-back threes for Phoenix.

Thomas then converted on a layup, adding to the Mercury’s sudden dominant surge. After a 3-pointer from Makani, the Sparks called a timeout. Phoenix’s lead was seven.

Sarah Ashlee Barker scored her first points of the game and the first points for the team in the quarter with a layup.

Los Angeles had gotten the game to within four, but the Mercury responded with a 10-1 run to make it a double-digit lead.

The Sparks went 2-20 in the quarter, shooting an awful 10% from the field. They only scored seven points in the entire third. At the end of the quarter, the Mercury were up by 13.

The final frame was much more successful for the Sparks as they scored eight points early. Dearica and Kelsey started things off, then Azurá took over with a few buckets of her own. Los Angeles’s scoring surge had rattled Phoenix.

With 15.6 seconds left, it was a two-point Mercury lead. Sabally was fouled and split a pair of free throws. The Sparks now had an opportunity to tie the game. Kelsey had the ball and unfortunately drained a long-range two, making it a one-point game. A pair of free throws sealed the deal for Phoenix.

Key Takeaways:

This young Sparks team is very scrappy, and they showed it in this game, nearly completing a comeback after playing some of the worst basketball imaginable in the third. If they could come out more locked in and stronger in the third quarter of games, they wouldn’t have had such a large deficit.

On a positive note, Los Angeles won the rebounding battle with 47 to Phoenix’s 43.

The Sparks’ next game will be Friday against the Golden State Valkyries at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.