Sparks win in second OT
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Momentarily unsure of which way to turn, point guard Marta Fernandez had to be pointed in the right direction after she hesitated about which way to take the ball upcourt after the Sparks won the opening tipoff against Sacramento.
Like Fernandez, the rest of the Sparks also were lost early on, but they all eventually found their way back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit for a 96-88 double-overtime victory in front of 7,926 Friday night at Staples Center.
“It’s our best win of the season. Hopefully, it turns into something more,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “It’s not just that we won. It’s how we won, against a good team. We just kept fighting and working, and to hang in there for two [overtimes], is good for us.”
Rookie guard Sidney Spencer and center Taj McWilliams-Franklin each scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Fernandez made a key three-point shot and free throw in the period to help the Sparks climb out of the hole twice, before finally prevailing when they outscored the Monarchs, 13-5, in the second extra period.
“Whew, I don’t even know where to begin,” Spencer said, with a relieved smile. “I think we were desperate to win. We just had to stay together.”
A free throw by the Sparks’ newest acquisition, Sherill Baker, with 3.9 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime tied at 75-75.
A driving layup by Spencer with 24.3 seconds remaining in the first overtime tied the score at 83-83 and set up another extra period.
The Sparks had also played their last double-overtime game against Sacramento, winning that one, 85-80, on July 29, 2004.
With the victory, the Sparks (6-5) avoided dropping their fourth consecutive game, something they had been in danger of doing for the first time since 1999.
Sacramento (8-4), first place in the Western Conference and the winner of three in a row and six of its last seven games coming in, led most of the game but made 23 turnovers to the Sparks’ nine. Monarchs forward Nicole Powell, who had 19 points and eight rebounds in the teams’ first meeting, hurt the Sparks again with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Kara Lawson came off the bench to score 20 points and lead the Monarchs.
But it wasn’t enough, despite the fact that the Sparks had only one lead before the first overtime, and trailed, 63-42, with 1:14 left in the third period.
With Sacramento ahead only 43-36, Lawson scored 13 of the Monarchs’ next 17 points to put the Sparks behind by a 60-40 deficit.
The game marked the introduction of second-year guard Baker, who was acquired in a trade from the New York Liberty on Wednesday, and made an impressive debut with her new team with 14 points before fouling out.
McWilliams-Franklin finished with 21 points and Spencer finished with 15 to lead the Sparks, who had six players who score in double figures.
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