Sparks lose a thriller to Liberty

Twenty-four years ago nearly to the day, the Sparks and the New York Liberty played the first game in WNBA history at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood.

The teams matched up again Sunday at Los Angeles Convention Center, celebrating the birth and evolution of the league.

Like that first game, the Liberty beat the Sparks, this time in a 76-73 thriller that came down to the last possession.

Liberty forward Rebecca Allen recorded a seasonhigh 19 points and three blocks, two of which came in the final seconds on Sparks 3-point attempts to seal the victory. Guard Sami Whitcomb added 17 while securing a season-high nine rebounds.

After taking an eightpoint lead at halftime, New

THE SCORE

LIBERTY 76, SPARKS 73

Up next: Mystics at Sparks, Thursday, 7:30 p.m., SpecSN

York (7-6) jumped out to a 14-point lead in the third quarter and appeared to be running away with it. The Sparks responded with a 19-5 run to tie the game at 58 going into the fourth quarter.

Sparks guard Kristi Toliver ignited the run by scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers in the third quarter. She finished with 15 points. Fellow guard Erica Wheeler notched a gamehigh 20 points with 10 assists and forward Nia Coffey added 15 points. Coffey missed a last-second 3-pointer to potentially send the game into overtime.

“We didn’t take advantage of what was given to us,” Sparks coach Derek Fisher said.

The Sparks, who force a league-best 19.1 turnovers a game, benefited from 30 Liberty turnovers, including 16 in the first half, that they converted into 37 points.

Sparks guard Brittney Sykes led the defensive effort with a career-high seven steals, five sparking the third-quarter run.

“I’m just everywhere,” Sykes said. “I just try to adapt to whatever my team needs.

Sykes said after falling down 14, Fisher told the team to “come and really want it.”

The Sparks wanted it enough to come back but couldn’t sustain its intensity to finish the game, particularly on the offensive end. Coach Derek Fisher pointed to a lack of execution down the stretch.

Forward Bria Holmes left the first half with calf tightness after starting the past three games. She did not return to protect her from any injury, according to Fisher.