Sparks Win Fifth Straight, Beat Liberty in Playoff Atmosphere
WNBA Los Angeles Sparks

Sparks Win Fifth Straight, Beat Liberty in Playoff Atmosphere

July 26, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Los Angeles Sparks News Release


Los Angeles Sparks (11-14) at New York Liberty (17-7)

Game 25 | July 26, 2025 | Barclays Center | Brooklyn, NY | NBA TV

Game Leaders:

Sparks

PTS - Rickea Jackson (24)

REB - Azurá Stevens (11)

AST - Julie Allemand (10)

Liberty

PTS - Sabrina Ionescu (30)

REB - Jonquel Jones/Sabrina Ionescu (8)

AST - Natasha Cloud (9)

First Quarter:

Forward Dearica Hamby opened the scoring with an unassisted three-pointer at the 9:34 mark

At the 7:22 mark, forward Rickea Jackson sank a three-pointer off an assist from guard Julie Allemand to cut the Sparks deficit to 9-8

Guard Kelsey Plum made her first triple of the game with 6:37 to go in the first, giving the Sparks an 11-9 lead. Allemand assisted on her second basket of the game. Plum hit another three on the next Sparks possession to put them up 14-9

The Sparks went on a 13-0 run to take an 18-9 lead at the 4:40 mark

The trio of Hamby (7 PTS in Q1), Jackson (17 PTS in Q1) and Plum (9 PTS in Q1) scored the Sparks' first 22 points of the contest

Jackson's 17 points represent her most in a quarter in her WNBA career

Allemand recorded a game-high five assists in the opening quarter, which tied her most ever in a quarter, while forward-center Azurá Stevens secured a game-high five rebounds

The Sparks shot 68.4% (13-for-19 FG) from the field and 70.0% (7-for-10 3PT) from beyond the arc in the quarter. 35 points is also the most points scored by Los Angeles in the first quarter this season

Second Quarter:

Guard-forward Rae Burrell completed the three-point play after beating the buzzer via a Plum assist, scoring the Sparks' first points of the quarter

Burrell capitalized on the next Sparks possession, converting a layup after securing an offensive rebound

Guard Julie Vanloo scored her first points of the game with a three-pointer off an Allemand assist with 6:33 left in the first half

Burrell knocked down a triple via a Stevens assist, giving the Sparks a 49-36 advantage with 4:55 left in the half. Burrell scored nine points (X-for-X FG) in the half, already marking her season high

With only 10 seconds left in the first half, Hamby hit a driving layup off an assist from Allemand

The Sparks shot 56.8% (21-for-37 FG) from the field and 55.6% (10-for-18 3PT) from deep in the half

Allemand dished eight assists in the first half, matching her most in a half this season and in her career

The Sparks' leading scorers in the half were Jackson with 20 (7-for-8 FG, 4-for-5 3PT, 2-for-2 FT) and Hamby with 13 (6-for-8 FG, 1-for-1 3PT). Hamby also added a game-high six rebounds

The Sparks' 58 points in the first half marked their second-most in a half this season

Third Quarter:

Hamby opened the second half finishing at the rim via a Jackson assist at the 9:19 mark, giving the Sparks a 60-45 lead, which matched their largest advantage of the game

Forward Sania Feagin grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, extending the Sparks lead to 72-65 with 1:23 left in the third

On the next Sparks possession, Allemand recorded her ninth assist of the game, setting up Jackson for a layup

Stevens grabbed a game-high five boards in the quarter, upping her game total to 10

Fourth Quarter:

Burrell drilled a three-pointer for the first hoop of the third quarter, extending the Los Angeles lead to 77-69 with 8:47 on the game clock

Stevens hit a jumper assisted by Plum at the 2:38 mark, giving the Sparks a 95-92 lead. Stevens scored eight points in the final 5:31 of the game and 10 in the final quarter

Plum scored six points and recorded four assists in the fourth quarter

In the second half, the Sparks score twice as many paint points as the Liberty, 32-16. Los Angeles also outrebounded New York by four (17-13)

To beat the buzzer, Jackson made a driving layup with an assist from Hamby to give the Sparks the win, making it Los Angeles' second triple digit win in a row and second straight 101-point game

Main Takeaways:

The Sparks have won five straight games, the longest active streak in the WNBA, and six of their past seven contests

Los Angeles' 101 points mark the first time in franchise history that the team has scored 90+ points in five consecutive games. The Sparks outscored the Liberty in the paint 54-44

The Sparks shot 51.3% from the floor (and 40.7% from beyond the arc) and now have shot higher than 50.0% from the field in four consecutive games for the sixth time in franchise history and the first instance since 2016. This is the 21st time in WNBA history that a team has shot 50.0% or higher in at least four consecutive games

Kelsey Plum recorded 20 points and eight assists. With three three-pointers made, Plum now owns the longest streak of 3+ 3PM in the WNBA with seven consecutive games (Kelsey Mitchell did it in six straight games earlier this season).

Azurá Stevens recorded her seventh double-double of the season and 19th of her career with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Stevens scored all 17 of her points in the second half

With 17 points and 10 rebounds, Dearica Hamby recorded her seventh double-double of the season and 50th of her career

Rickea Jackson matched her season high in made three-pointers with four, a game-high. The forward recorded an additional two team highs with 24 points and nine made field goals

With 12 points, two made three-pointers and four field goals made, Rae Burrell recorded three season highs

Julie Allemand matched her season high in assists with 10. She also posted six rebounds, four points and tied for a team-high +3 rating

Pregame Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On what she wants to see from the Sparks defensively against the Liberty:

"I think we've got to defend the three-point line and then just be locked in on matchups and who we're guarding and what the game plan is for each guy. We're not naive to their firepower, so we have our hands full, but I do think we have a good game plan and we've been playing better defensively. Our players are feeling a little more confident on that end, and we're gonna need every bit of it."

On Sania Feagin's impact:

"Sania is someone we believe in. She's a big, strong body that isn't afraid of being physical. And that's what I'm looking for her to do. Just continue to get better. She's a rookie who hasn't gotten a ton of minutes under her belt, so it's kind of inconsistent right now, but I believe in her...It's really hard in this league to develop young players, but through this process, [we will] just continue to try and develop her because she can be a really good pro."

On patterns she's noticed during the Sparks' win streak:

"I think we always want to try and play with pace and space, and I think that has gotten better. It's just more natural, they're thinking less...in a system like ours, it's read and react, instinct, learning to play with each other and all those things. So, thank God, with some roster continuity, we've been able to develop that. I think playing with more pace and learning to win is a skill. You have to learn how to win, and I'm noticing just [that] there's a different level of confidence. It's not arrogance at all, but it's just like, 'We're okay. We got this.' The way they're talking to each other in huddles and timeouts, it's different. So I think they're gaining some sincere confidence."

Postgame Press Conference Quotes:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On Saturday's win against the Liberty:

"We knew they were gonna go on a run. They're the defending champs and [they have] star power. But, part of learning to win is learning to just stay steady, and not get too high or too low or panic, right? We didn't. New York was coming at us and I thought Natasha Cloud put a lot of pressure on the defense for us. She's tough. She just gets going downhill and then, obviously, Sabrina [Ionescu] is always dangerous and every time she shoots it, you kind of hold your breath. But, again, I'm just proud of these guys' resilience, and they're buying in, and they're figuring it out and I have so much trust in them... Julie [Allemand] will come over and suggest something, [Kelsey Plum], Rickea [Jackson] did it and I'm all for it. There's ownership in what we're doing and then again, just that resilience and staying steady. I think that's what it takes to win."

On Kelsey Plum & Natasha Cloud going head-to-head:

"Those are two competitors just going at it... Every time [Kelsey Plum] caught the ball, she had to work. But, she hung in there and did a great job and facilitated eight assists. Natasha [Cloud]'s speed off the dribble is tough, and especially in transition she made things hard, and I thought Julie Allemand did a pretty good job on her. She just drew some fouls but, that's just two heavyweight competitors going at it. "

Rickea Jackson

On the game-winning last play of Saturday's game:

"We drew a play up, and we just executed to the tee. [Dearica Hamby] saw me, got her assist so, I'm like, I can't let them down, I gotta be her assist... Just to celebrate that moment, I feel like we worked really hard for this win, so I just feel like we deserved it. I didn't personally want to go over the time... I'm willing to do whatever [it] takes, so that's all I was thinking about, just trying to win for my team."

On what she's learned from Kelsey Plum this season:

"Just her preparation. [Kelsey Plum] is the epitome of a pro. She's the first one there, last one to leave, she leads by example, so even if she [doesn't] say anything, you just respect her because of the work she puts in behind the scenes. So for her to be as vocal as she is, everyone respects her. She's one of those players you want to make proud because she works so hard for us, and she gives so much and sacrificed so much. So, I've just been learning from her, and again, she's always giving me advice on things, and outside of basketball as well. So just having her vocally and leading by example, it just goes hand in hand, but she's truly a great person."

Dearica Hamby

On her and Azurá Stevens' offensive rebounding:

"Well, you just always talk about creating second chance points and we knew, both of us going into this game, that it was gonna be a big one as far as the bigs matchup. We saw four of the best post players in this league tonight. Obviously, then 'Stewie' [Breanna Stewart] went down, but I feel like we just have put an emphasis on offensive rebounding, and so we're crashing every single time."

What's Next?:

The Sparks return home for a date with the Las Vegas Aces July 29 at 7 p.m. PT., before heading to Seattle for a matchup against the Storm August 1 at 7 p.m. PT.

Check out the Los Angeles Sparks Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 26, 2025


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