Dearica Hamby scored 27 points, rookie Rickea Jackson added a career-high 23 points and the Sparks beat the Dallas Wings 87-81 Saturday in a battle between the WNBA’s cellar dwellers.
Azurá Stevens finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks — while shooting six of 10 from the field, four of four from three-point range — for the Sparks (6-17), who broke a two-game losing streak. Aari McDonald added 12 points.
Stevens sank a three-pointer to make it 72-all with 5:49 to play, sparking an 11-1 run that gave the Sparks an 80-73 lead when Hamby’s basket capped the spurt with 3:49 left. Arike Ogunbowale made two free throws to trim Dallas’ deficit to 80-77 with 2:28 remaining, but Hamby answered with a layup, McDonald followed with a pair of foul shots and the Wings got no closer.
Odyssey Sims led Dallas (5-19) with 23 points. She has scored in double figures in seven of eight games, including each of the last six, since she signed with the team on June 25. Natasha Howard scored 14 points, Kalani Brown added 13 and Teaira McCowan had 10. Ogunbowale scored 12 points but was just two-of-14 shooting from the field and committed five turnovers.
Sparks won for just the second time in its last 12 games. The Sparks have four wins (two wins each against the Wings and the Las Vegas Aces) since May 28.
Dallas has won just twice since May 26.
Jackson scored six points — and Stevens made a three-pointer and followed with a layup that gave Los Angeles its first lead at 20-18 — in an 11-0 run to close the first quarter. Jackson’s layup to open the second gave the Sparks a 24-18 lead.
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, left, tries to beat Dallas’ Teaira McCowan to a rebound during the first half Saturday.
(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)
Hamby scored 17 points on eight-of-12 shooting and Jackson added 12 points as the Sparks took a 45-44 lead into halftime. Los Angeles shot 56% (20 of 36) and had eight steals — three by Stevens, who also had eight points and six rebounds — in the first half.
Stevens and Kia Nurse hit back-to-back three-pointers to cap a 12-2 run to open the third quarter that gave Los Angeles a 57-46 lead with 6:34 left.