Sparks are 0- 4 after home loss

Alex Bentley had a season- high 21 points, and Chelsea Gray scored all 11 of her points in the final 14: 24 to help the Connecticut Sun beat the Sparks, 76- 68, at Staples Center.

Kelsey Bone added 14 points and Camille Little had 13 for Connecticut ( 6- 1), which has won six straight and snapped a six- game skid, dating to Aug. 3, 2011, against the Sparks.

The Sparks ( 0- 4), who have been without Candace Parker, Kristi Toliver and Nneka Ogwumike all season — and leading scorer Alana Beard for the last two games — are off to their worst start in franchise history. Jantel Lavender had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Temeka Johnson had 15 points and 10 assists for the Sparks.

Nico Rosberg showed his championship potential by overtaking pole- sitter Lewis Hamilton on the f irst turn and going on to win the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg.

The German driver, runner- up to his Mercedes teammate in last year’s Formula One championship, took an aggressive inside line to shoot past Hamilton heading into the first turn in an eventful race featuring a heavy crash between Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso and several more retirements.

Rosberg’s third win this season took his career tally to 11 and cut Hamilton’s overall lead to 10 points.

Erik Jones took the lead from Ryan Blaney with 11 laps remaining and held on to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series AttiCat 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Matt Hagan won the funny car f inal in the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals for his f irst victory on his home track in Bristol, Tenn.

Hagan beat Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps for his fourth win of the season and 18th of his career.

Richie Crampton beat Larry Dixon in top fuel, and Erica Enders beat Chris McGaha in pro stock.

In soccer, playing without suspended star Neymar, Brazil defeated Venezuela, 2- 1, in Santiago, Chile, in its f inal group game to reach the Copa America quarterfinals. ... Peru and Colombia tied, 0- 0, in Temuco, Chile, as both teams reached the quarterfinals.

Rances Barthelemy beat Antonio DeMarco by unanimous decision in a super- lightweight boxing match in Las Vegas.