Postgame Notes: Sparks vs. Fire
Published on August 2, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release
Game Leaders:
Sparks
PTS - Dearica Hamby (23) REB - Dearica Hamby/Nneka Ogwumike (10) AST - Erica Wheeler (8)
Fire PTS - Bridget Carleton (24) REB - Bridget Carleton (11) AST - Carla Leite (8)
Key Takeaways:
The Sparks' 106 points mark its 6th 100+ point game and 3rd away game scoring 100+ points this season
Six Sparks scored in double figures: Dearica Hamby (23), Nneka Ogwumike (22), Ariel Atkins (12), Rae Burrell (12), Jihyun Park (12) and Erica Wheeler (12)
With both her game-high 23 points (11-for-15 FG) and 10 rebounds, Hamby surpassed 4,500 career points, passed Swin Cash to claim sole possession of 19th all-time in the WNBA in total rebounds and recorded 58th career double-double and 4th of the season.
The forward also recorded a season-high 11 field goals made, just two shy of her career high, and tied for a game-high two blocks in under thirty minutes of action
In addition to tallying 22 points, Ogwumike tied for a team-high ten rebounds and contributed two assists and one steal
Wheeler recorded a game high and season-high-tying three steals as well as a game- high-tying eight assists while scoring 12 points (2-for-3 3PT, 4-for-4 FT), posting a game-high +11 rating
In eighteen minutes of play, Park scored 12 points (5-for-7 FG, 2-for-3 3PT) and set a career high with her four assists
The Sparks shot 52.0% (39-for-75) from the field, 55.2% (16-for-29) from three-point territory and led the Fire in assists (33-21) First Quarter:
Ariel Atkins opened scoring for the competition with a layup at the 9:39 mark via an assist from Rae Burrell
The Fire went on a 17-3 run from the 6:57 to the 4:22 mark to make the score 20-13, Portland's advantage
Atkins scored a game-high nine points (3-for-3 3PT) in the opening quarter, completing all her attempts from beyond the arc, in less than eight minutes of action
The Sparks shot 71.4% (5-for-7) from beyond the arc and limited the Fire to 42.9% (9-fo- 21) from the field and 40.0% (4-for-10) from the three-point territory
The opening quarter featured three lead changes and one tie Second Quarter:
Jihyun Park opened second quarter scoring with a layup at the 9:43 mark to make the score 29- 24, Portland's advantage
With 14 seconds left in the first half, Burrell converted a driving layup via an assist from Atkins to cut the Sparks' deficit, 49 -43
Hamby tied for a game-high eight points (4-for-5 FG) in the second quarter while also contributing three rebounds in less than eight and half minutes of action
Ogwumike grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the first half
In the second quarter, the Sparks led the Fire in paint points (18-6) Third Quarter:
Ogwumike opened second half scoring with a layup off an assist from Erica Wheeler to cut the Sparks' deficit, 49 -45
Ogwumike hit a shot from beyond the arc at the 2:04 mark to put the Sparks ahead 67-65
The Sparks went on a 18-6 scoring run from the 5:57 to the 1:32 mark to give Los Angeles a 70-67 lead
Ogwumike 's 11 points (4 -for-6 FG, 2-for-3 3PT) and Hamby 's four rebounds in the third quarter were both game highs
Los Angeles led Portland in paint points (14-8), rebounds (9-5) and assists (9-3)
The third quarter featured three lead changes and three ties Fourth Quarter:
Park opened scoring for the final quarter with a triple off an assist from Chance Gray to break the tie and return the lead to the Sparks, 75-72
Ogwumike scored a team-high nine points in the fourth quarter on 60.0% shooting from the field (3-for-5), 50.0% shooting from three (1-for-2) and 100.0% shooting from the line (2-for-2)
Wheeler dished a team-high four assists in the fourth quarter while shooting 100.0% from the three-point line and the stripe (1-for-1 3PT, 4-for-4 FT)
Park scored eight points, completing all her attempts (3-for-3 FG, 2-for-2 3PT), in fewer than seven minutes of action
The final quarter featured five lead changes and seven ties
Pregame Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On Erica Wheeler's leadership:
"[ Erica Wheeler ] is a leader.
I've told her she should coach when she's done, and she says,'hell no,' b ut she'd be great. She's a coach on the floor. What I love about her is that she's steady and she can take intensity. She can take anything and she's going to do her job and takes a lot of responsibility for making sure that everybody on the court is where they need to be and doing what they need to be doing. So, it's not just about her and that's a big burden. You can get fatigued by that, b ut she's doing a hell of a job.'
On the team's identity for ongoing season:
"We're not done. We're not throwing in the towel or waving the white flag or anything like that.
These guys want to win. I want to win, and we're working tirelessly to make that happen. So, our identity hasn't changed in terms of we want to play with pace and space, take high-quality shots, and defensively be dis ruptive as possible..."
Postgame Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On Jihyun Park's impact:
"I thought she was the difference maker there in that third quarter. She made some big plays, great passes [and] made the right reads. Whether it was passing it or shooting it on the offensive end, she just made the right read [and] knocked it down. [She shot] two for three from three. I thought she was really good, efficient and then just defensively, she was in the right spots. She understands what we're trying to do and plays her tail off. So, [I'm] really proud of her. I thought her minutes ignited us there in the third."
On executing:
"I'm really proud of them.
What I said after the game in the locker room was that we won that fourth quarter by five, and it came down to executing and hitting free throws. [We were] running what we were supposed to be running and then also executing defensively, knowing where we're supposed to be and what coverage. You have to give Portland credit, they hit some big shots.
That last [three pointer] that [Bridget Carleton] hit in the corner was remarkable. But then they ran a similar action, and [ Ariel ] Atkins defended it perfectly. I'm proud of that. That shows toughness. And then coming into today, with all the noise... these guys [stay] focused and locked in and execute in those moments. It shows growth. It shows toughness. [We had] 33 assists on 39 baskets. We keep sharing the ball like that and staying locked in to our game plan, we can compete with anybody."
Nneka Ogwumike On what she's seen from Jihyun Park this season:
"You can tell [ Jihyun Park 's ] paying attention to everything that we're doing. Whether it's impressed upon her or she's just observing. She has a good way of understanding what we need in the game.
Today was one of those days that displayed just that. She's obviously a superstar.
And someone having that level of humility and patience with herself and the process is a big reason why she was ready. She was ready to step up today. I think she does an amazing job of just being ready when her name is called, and we're happy to have her. It's also fun to be able to watch a player like that get better each g ame"
On working hard on defense:
"I think we did a great job of lasering in on our defensive strategy in the fourth quarter. There were a couple moments of frustration, but we didn't necessarily abort the schemes. The schemes is what we knew would work, and we just locked into it a little bit more. We were more intentional about how we were able to get back into position when matchups were challenged in
on ball actions, and so I thought we did a really good job of on ball defense a little better in that fourth quarter... Then down the stretch, we understood that it was a possession by possession type of game, so we wanted to make sure that everybody was also on the same page when it came to how we wanted to get our stops. We were paying attention to our timeouts left, the resets [and] how much time was on the clock. I think that we did a really good job of honing into end of game situations tonight."
Dearica Hamby
On determination:
"I think we just keep chipping away. We talked about the last six games. We haven't won them, but we were playing good basketball, and we wanted to keep building off that... It carried over to this game, and we were rewarded with a win."
On playing double bigs with Nneka Ogwumike:
"I think it's great. We know we're both super versatile, and any night could be either one of us.
Most nights, [it's] both of us. I think our flexibility in being interchangeable is what makes us difficult to guard as a pair."
NEXT: The Sparks head east to face the Sky at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill. on Wednesday, August 5th at 6 p.m. PT
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