INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Rookie forward Nneka
Ogwumike had 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the
Indiana Fever 77-74 on Thursday night.
Ogwumike finished with 12 offensive rebounds,
tying a WNBA record. Los Angeles outrebounded Indiana 47-31 and grabbed 23
offensive boards.
Candace Parker and Kristi Toliver each scored
19 points for the Sparks (15-6), who won their fifth straight in the final game
for both teams before the Olympic break.
Indiana (10-7) had a chance to tie in the
final seconds, but Tamika Catchings missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Catchings
scored 27 points and Briann January added 11 for the Fever. Katie Douglas,
Indiana's No. 2 scorer, finished with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting.
The game wasn't decided until the final
minute.
Ogwumike was called for a foul while boxing
out Erlana Larkins with 35.5 seconds left. Larkins could have given Indiana the
lead, but she missed both free throws and Los Angeles rebounded. Toliver was
fouled and made both of her free throws to give the Sparks a 77-74 advantage,
setting up the final sequence.
Indiana led 39-30 at halftime. Catchings
scored 15 points in the first half to carry an otherwise lackluster Fever
offense. Indiana held Parker to six points on 3-for-9 shooting in the first
half.
The Sparks rallied early in the second half.
Parker's putback cut Indiana's lead to 41-39, and Los Angeles got as close as a
point before two 3-pointers by January pushed Indiana's lead back to 51-44.
Parker made a free throw, then missed the
second before Ogwumike scored on a putback. Larkins was called for a technical
foul, Los Angeles made the free throw and suddenly it was a one-point game again.
The Sparks finally took the lead late in the
third quarter, but Indiana hung tough. A pair of free throws by Catchings with
0.5 seconds left in the period gave the Fever a 57-56 lead heading into the
fourth. Parker and Ogwumike each scored 10 points in the third to pull Los
Angeles back into the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment