Sparks Notes
August 20, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release
Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final Points Rebounds Assists
Sparks 20 15 11 15 61 Azurá Stevens/Rickea Jackson (14) Dearica Hamby (10) Crystal Dangerfield (4)
Sun 17 24 12 16 69 DiJonai Carrington (19) Alyssa Thomas(16) Alyssa Thomas (8)
First Quarter:
Rickea Jackson opened the game's scoring with a jump shot from the free-throw line, assisted by Crystal Dangerfield
On the next Sparks possession, Azurá Stevens completed an and-1, with the layup also assisted by Dangerfield
Dearica Hamby's second steal led to a fastbreak layup by Odyssey Sims, cutting the deficit to 15-13
LA retook the lead, 16-15, with a three-pointer from Kia Nurse
Li Yueru scored at the buzzer off a Rickea Jackson assist to take a 20-17 lead at the end of the quarter...The Sparks closed the period on an 11-2 run
Los Angeles shot 56.2% in the quarter, limiting Connecticut to 35.0% from the field
Second Quarter:
Kia Nurse drained the Sparks' first field goal of the quarter with a jumper, extending the Sparks' lead to 23-19
Li Yueru tallied four points, three rebounds and one assist in the second quarter
Dearica Hamby posted a game-high five boards in the second quarter. At the half, she had a game-high eight rebounds
Azurá Stevens led Los Angeles with nine points (4-for-5 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-1 FT)
There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first half
The Sparks' bench outscored the Sun's 15-5 in the first half
Third Quarter:
Azurá Stevens made Los Angeles' first basket of the half, a layup off a Stephanie Talbot assist
Talbot recorded two blocks in the quarter, matching her career high with three in the game
Stevens hit a triple, trimming the deficit to 47-40, assisted by Crystal Dangerfield
Stevens secured a game-high five rebounds in the third
The Sparks matched their lowest point total in a third quarter this season with 11
Fourth Quarter:
Kia Nurse opened the quarter's scoring with a jump shot, making it 53-48
Los Angeles' 10-2 run made it a one-possession game, 53-50
Rickea Jackson converted the and-1 play with 6:08 to go, tying the game at 53
Connecticut did not score its first points of the quarter until the 5:17 mark
Odyssey Sims completes the and-1 to give the Sparks' their first lead since 3:11 remaining in the second quarter, 56-55
Dearica Hamby finished the Sparks' third and-1 basket in a row, extending the lead to four
Main Takeaways:
The Sparks' bench outscored the Sun's reserves 24-7
Stephanie Talbot matched her career high with three blocks
Azurá Stevens reached 800 career rebounds in the contest
Li Yueru contributed eight points (4-for-7 FG), seven rebounds, a career-high two blocks and one steal in a career-high 28 minutes
Rae Burrell matched her career high in defensive rebounds (four), and Kia Nurse tied her season high in rebounds (three)
Los Angeles finishes its four-game road trip against the Washington Mystics (Aug. 23) and Dallas Wings (Aug. 25).
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