Fever hand Sparks 2nd straight loss
Sky edge Mercury 79-77
INDIANAPOLIS, July 20, (AP): Tamika Catchings had 23 points and four steals to help the Indiana Fever hand the Los Angeles Sparks their first two-game losing streak of the season in a 92-82 victory Tuesday night.
Despite the loss, the Sparks clinched a playoff berth, reaching the post-season for the fifth straight year. Los Angeles is still looking for its first championship since the franchise won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.
In Tuesday’s only other game, the Sky edged the Mercury 79-77 when Jessica Breland made a putback with 0.2 seconds.
At Indianapolis, Catchings made steals on consecutive Los Angeles possessions, leading to Erica Wheeler’s give-and-go layup and Lynetta Kizer’s baseline jumper for an 86-70 lead. Kristi Toliver hit her
BASKETBALL
fourth 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to pull Los Angeles to 90-82 with 56.2 seconds left, but Catchings made two free throws on the other end.
After starting the season with 20 wins in their first 21 games, the top-ranked Sparks have lost two in a row.
Toliver finished with 18 points for Los Angeles (20-3). Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points and 14 rebounds for her 12th double-double and Candace Parker added 15 points.
Kizer and Wheeler each scored 14 points for Indiana. Wheeler scored six points in the final 2 minutes of the first half, including a driving layup with 1.9 seconds left for a 49-40 lead.
The Sky left it to the final seconds for the second straight game to secure victory.
Candice Dupree hit a runner in the lane for Phoenix with 12.8 seconds left to tie it at 77-all. After a timeout, Elena Delle Donne missed a contested jumper, Imani Boyette had a bank shot roll out and Breland elevated for the winner.
On Sunday night, Delle Donne hit a 3-pointer with a second left to give the Sky a 91-88 win over Seattle.
Delle Donne had 18 points and nine rebounds for Chicago. DeWanna Bonner led seventh-seeded Phoenix with 20 points and eight rebounds.