NEW YORK -- The third quarter did it again to the Sparks.
Los Angeles led by 11 at one point before they succumbed to a 27-6 run that saw New York lead by 10 at the end of the third. The Sparks did get the deficit down to five at one point but a Leonie Fiebich three set things straight for the Liberty. New York got a much-needed win, 89-79.
The game came down to a lot of things but it's easy to point out the three-point shooting. The Sparks went 5 for 19 (.263) while the Liberty did much better at 12 for 30 (.400). While the Sparks shot well (.482), they still had 18 turnovers. The Liberty had 14 more shots and there's a better chance of winning when they get that many more attempts on goal.
"They're going to go on a run and I thought that affected our execution there in the third quarter," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts. "But yeah, to answer to your question, I thought defensively, we were really good. And rebounding-wise, we did a tremendous job; I am proud of our team. I thought we competed. They kind of threw a haymaker there in the third and we got a little bit tight... we were down too big. Hats off to them."
It was Julie Allemand's first game since coming back from Eurobasket. She scored 10 points and played over 37 minutes.
"It sucks to lose, for sure," Allemand said. "Especially when you feel like you have the game in your hands. The third quarter killed us and I hope we're going to learn from it. The coach is happy but it's still hard when you lose. I really think that with this group, we can do a lot."
Azura Stevens was glad to get some of her teammates back, at least.
"We've been dealing with injuries from Day One and we still don't have (Cameron Brink)," Stevens said, who scored 12 points. "It's always refreshing to have people come back and join us."
"In terms of Rae (Burrell), I thought she did great," Coach Roberts said. "She hit a couple big shots. You know, hit a three and was very super active on defense. I thought she was great for the first time back and she really hasn't practiced."
The Sparks were led by Dearica Hamby with 25 points, nine boards, two blocks, and three steals while Kelsey Plum had a 13-7-8 line (but with six turnovers). Rae Burrell was back on the court and scored five points in under 12 minutes. Julie Vanloo was scoreless and only played a bit over two minutes.
As for the Liberty, they were led by Natasha Cloud with 23 points while Sabrina Ionescu had 20. Breanna Stewart had 17 points and 14 boards.
The Sparks will celebrate the fourth of July and then play a rematch with the Fever in Indianapolis. Los Angeles is now 5-13 after 18 games of the season.
But they are getting closer to full strength. Silver linings.
