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Sunday, Jun. 18 8:00pm ET
Sparks win game heading into Comets showdown | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Mwadi Mabika and Lisa Leslie combined for 41 points to lead the Los Angeles Sparks past the Charlotte Sting 70-62 Sunday night in front of 4,847 fans at the Great Western Forum. The victory put the Sparks (6-2) into second place in the WNBA's Western Division by one-half game over Minnesota in preparation for their showdown Tuesday night against first-place Houston, the three-time WNBA champion. Mabika scored 12 points in the first half and led all scorers with 21 points. Leslie recorded 16 points in the second half to finish with 20 points. Sparks coach Michael Cooper, a former defensive standout with the Lakers, said the 23-year-old Mabika is reaching a turning point. She scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds Saturday night against Portland. "People have looked past her but in these last two games, she's opened their eyes," Cooper said. "We've made a concerted effort to run some things for her in the offense, and she's responded like a true veteran. "When you put her in a situation to score, that only builds confidence. She can shoot better than anyone in this league and when her confidence is up, she's as good as anyone." Mabika led the first of three runs Los Angeles used in the first half to take control. The forward scored five points during a 12-2 blitz that put the Sparks ahead 19-8 with 12:25 remaining in the half. Charlotte (1-8) narrowed its deficit to 19-12 before Allison Feaster scored all seven points during a 7-0 spurt that extended the Sparks' lead to 26-12. The Sting then closed to within 28-23 with 3:04 left in the half, but DeLisha Milton's 12-foot turnaround jumper and Mabika's three-point basket gave Los Angeles a 33-23 advantage with two minutes before halftime. Charlotte got no closer than six points in the second half. "Until there were three minutes to play, we had a stab at it," Sting coach T.R. Dunn said. "Our play has not been all that bad. Our defense has been pretty solid, and our rebounding was good tonight. But we made too many turnovers. "We just haven't been able to get over the hump but it's going to happen. We're going to break through it." Charlotte rookie Summer Erb had career highs of 21 points and eight rebounds. Andrea Stinson contributed 13 points for the Sting, Dawn Staley had 11 points and Charlotte Smith grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Houston 78 Minnesota 66
Los Angeles 70
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