Sparks Drop Home Opener
May 18, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Sparks fell 89-75 in their home opener to the Minnesota Lynx despite 20+ point performances from Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens.
With her fifth rebound of the game, Hamby (20 PTS, 10 REB) surpassed Alana Beard for eighth on the franchise rebounding list and notched the 44th double-double of her career. This figure propelled the star forward past Liz Cambage into sole possession of 31st place on the all-time list.
Stevens led the Sparks in scoring with 21 points (7-for-12 FG, 4-for-7 3PT) and converted all of her free throws (3-for-3).
Guard Kelsey Plum contributed 18 points (5-for-14 FG, 3-for-9 3PT) and tallied a team-high five assists.
Dearica Hamby: "I think this team is super talented all one through 12... it can really be anyone's game. We saw last time it was 'KP' [Kelsey Plum], and this time it was me and Azurá."
What's Next?: The Sparks hit the road to face the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, May 21 at Footprint Center (7 p.m. PT).
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Lynx 30 16 24 19 89
Sparks 25 20 17 13 75
Game Leaders
Sparks Lynx
Points Azurá Stevens (21) Napheesa Collier (23)
Rebounds Dearica Hamby (10) Jessica Shepard (10)
Assists Kelsey Plum (5) Courtney Williams (10)
First Quarter:
Forward Dearica Hamby scored the Sparks' first three points of the game with a free throw and a layup
Forward-center Azurá Stevens recorded a steal and went all the way to the basket, converting a three-point play. Moments later, she hit back-to-back threes, giving the Sparks a 17-14 lead. Stevens scored a game-high 14 points (5-for-5 FG, 3-for-3 3PT) in the quarter
Forward Rickea Jackson turned an offensive rebound into a basket after finishing the lay up. She scored six points (3-for-5 FG) in the quarter
After trailing 8-1, the Sparks went on a 16-6 run to take a 17-14 advantage.
Second Quarter:
Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker recorded the first block and steal of her WNBA career
Hamby scored 15 points (5-for-7 FG, 1-for-1 3PT) and grabbed five rebounds in the first half, both team highs. She scored 11 points in the second quarter
Guard Kelsey Plum scored eight points (3-for-7 FG, 2-for-5 3PT) in the second quarter
The Sparks turned the ball over just once in the first quarter, while the Lynx committed just three
Third Quarter:
Plum drained a three at 5:26 to cut the Sparks' deficit to 57-52
Free throws from Hamby, Stevens, Plum and Barker contributed to 10 of the 17 points scored. The Sparks went 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the free-throw line in the third quarter
Stevens and Plum made a combined seven free throws in the quarter
Fourth Quarter:
Stevens matched her career high in made three-pointers with four, going 4-for-7
Barker opened the quarter by draining a three to give the Sparks their first points of the fourth
Plum recorded a steal, scoring the layup on the other end to cut Los Angeles' deficit to 75-70 with 7:45 remaining
Plum's nine second-half points paced the Sparks. The star guard made four of her five free-throw attempts in the half
Main Takeaways:
With her fifth rebound of the game, Hamby surpassed Alana Beard for eighth on the franchise rebounding list. The three-time All-Star tallied 20 points (6-for-11 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 7-for-10 FT) and 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass
Hamby secured her second double-double in as many games. The 44th double-double of her career moved the star forward past Liz Cambage into sole possession of 31st place on the all-time list
Stevens had the highest shooting percentage on the Sparks in the game (58.3%, 7-for-12) and shot 100`% (3-for-3) from the free-throw line
Plum finished with a team-high five assists, also scoring 18 points (5-for-14 FG, 3-for-9 3PT, 5-for-7 FT)
The game featured nine lead changes and six ties
Rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker logged a career-high 24 minutes, scoring six points. She got to the free-throw line four times (3-for-4) and converted her first career WNBA three-pointer.
Pregame Sparks HC Lynne Roberts Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On today's game preparation:
"I want us to compete. You can't let someone come in and play harder than you on your home court and expect to win. We're focused on ourselves, and we're going to be really dialed in, but I'm really focused on getting our players a little bit better every time."
On the "No Space for Hate" Campaign:
"We need to be a space that's safe and that empowers everybody. There are a lot of eyes on our league right now, and we need to make sure that we're carrying that banner with seriousness and sincerity."
On Rae Burrell:
"I spoke with her yesterday for a long time, and she's doing okay. I think it could have been worse. We were all worried it was going to be worse. She'll be back and expected to make a full recovery in six to eight weeks."
Postgame Press-Conference Quotes:
Head Coach Lynne Roberts
On Azurá Stevens' performance
"I thought [Azurá] has been playing really well from training camp until today. I think she's benefiting from the spacing, but she's really smart, and she understands when to cut, where to cut, and when to float down to get those kick-out threes. I think it's a really good system for her strengths, but beyond that, like she's playing her tail off defensively and rebounding."
On Sarah Ashlee Barker's Performance
"We're a little bit thin in the guard line, but [Sarah Ashlee] did a good job... just gaining confidence, continuing to grow, experiencing what it takes in the W."
On the team's depth:
"We don't have a lot of depth there. It's not like I'm choosing, you know, to not play Rickea in the second, you know, she was hurt and I'd love to put Ray in but she's on crutches. We will get Julie back soon, that'll help. We're figuring things out in terms of rotations and all the stuff, and we'll keep evaluating that, but I would really love to play more players."
On team confidence:
"Confidence comes from putting the work in. It's not a 'what you have for lunch'. Or you can't just tell yourself, 'I'm going to be confident now,' you gotta put the work in. And we have the ability to do it. We have the talent to do it, the skill talent. It's just the mindset, like, if someone's up on you, you're not going to take it-you're going to take it at them. That's how you make pressure."
On next steps:
"We have to get mentally tougher. If we don't get tougher, then it gets more concerning. I trust these guys, and I know they want what I want. They want to win, and so it'll happen."
Dearica Hamby
On the team's talent:
"I think this team is super talented all one through 12... it can really be anyone's game. We saw last time it was 'KP' [Kelsey Plum], and this time it was me and Azurá."
On encouraging teammates and developing mental strength:
"I think I need to continue to lead by example, and when [challenging] moments happen, still be that example... It's natural to fade back a little bit, but just continue through."
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