Defense makes difference in narrow victory

Hayes is sluggish offense’s bright spot with 24 points.

It’s no surprise that the Dream would have a day like Saturday, when scoring was so often a struggle, but they put the clamps on the Los Angeles Sparks and topped the defending WNBA champions 75-73 by, um, defending.

Emerging scorer Tiffany Hayes put up 24 points, continuing to grow her game in the absence of dynamic scorer Angel McCoughtry as she takes the season off after playing last season, helping the USA win a gold medal in the Olympics, returning to the WNBA and then playing professionally over the winter in Russia.

Yet the Dream (3-1) occasionally left the rest of its offense in the cold at McCamish Pavilion. Beyond Hayes (7 of 12 from the field, 9 of 11 at the free-throw line), the rest of the Dream combined for 49 points on 21-of-51 shooting.

That left pressure on the defense, which for three quarters stifled the Sparks (3-2).

The Dream had 10 steals in the first half alone and limited WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike to 15 points in the game and WNBA Finals MVP Candace Parker to six, on 3-of11 shooting.

Los Angeles made just over 41 percent of its shots, but the Dream forced 21 turnovers and converted them into 22 points.

Yet, the visitors tied it at 67 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Sparks guard Chelsea Gray.

With 2:30 left in the game, the Dream began finding some offensive rhythm, and the free-throw line.

The Dream scored four of their final eight points from there, three by Hayes and one by point guard Layshia Clarendon, all sandwiched around short-range baskets by Elizabeth Williams and Clarendon.

Clarendon also stole a Ogwumike pass inside the final minute, and Williams blocked a Parker shot out of bounds with eight seconds remaining.

Trailing just 17-16 after a quarter, the Dream were fortunate to be down only 32-29 at halftime. They missed 8 of 9 shots to open the second period and finished 4 of 15 in the quarter.

They were, though, the good-hands people in that first half, picking up all but one of their 11 steals. It helped, too, that the Dream did not allow the Sparks a single fast-break opportunity in that first half.

Upon building a fence of sorts around Ogwumike in the third quarter, the Dream took the lead on Sancho Lyttle’s free throw with 6:36 left in the third for a 34-33 edge.

Ogwumike entered the game as the league’s second-leading scorer, with a 23.3-point average. She put up 11 in the first half, but in that third quarter the 6-foot-5 center was shut out, and Parker added two on free throws.

The Dream led 51-44 after three quarters.

With Ogwumike on the bench in foul trouble, the Sparks strung together a run, moving ahead 55-53 when Gray stole the ball from Lyttle and raced downcourt for a layup.

Sparks coach Michael Cooper called timeout with 6:42 left in the game.

Nip-and-tuck from there, Hayes would extinguish the Sparks.

Gray made her first two free throws with 6.8 seconds left to pull the Sparks within 75-73. She intentionally missed the third, and after it banged off the the rim and was batted up in the air, Hayes took the rebound and the Dream dribbled out the clock.

Clarendon had a game-high 12 assists, and Williams — the WNBA’s leading rebounder at 11.0 per game — grabbed nine rebounds to go with 10 points. Lyttle and Bria Holmes each scored 11.