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Sunday, Jul. 9 8:00pm ET
Leslie shines again for Sparks | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Defense -- and center Lisa Leslie -- enabled the Los Angeles Sparks to extend the second-longest winning streak in the Women's National Basketball Association's four seasons to 12 games Sunday, three short of the record. Lisa Leslie scored a season high-equaling 22 points and helped hold Utah's leading scorer Natalie Williams to eight in a 92-72 victory over the Starzz before an announced crowd of 6,691 at the Forum. "Lisa took a giant step forward," Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper said after his team improved to 16-2. "She's been doing it all year, but she was extremely effective tonight. These are the games we look to go to her." Leslie made eight of 11 shots, including all three in the second half and six of seven free throws. She had five rebounds, sharing the team lead with Clarisse Machanguana. Leslie left the game for good with 9:06 to play and the Sparks leading 74-48. The Starzz led just once, 2-0, only to allow the next seven points, four by Leslie. Allison Feaster's three-point basket capped a 10-2 run which put the Sparks up 40-26 with 3:20 to play before halftime. Reserve forward Vedrana Grgin had four points during the run. "The Sparks are such a good team that when they get a jump on you, they will continue to sustain that lead throughout the game," said Utah coach Fred Williams, who is not related to Natalie Williams. Los Angeles led 46-33 at halftime, with Leslie scoring 16. The Starzz (9-10) were able to stay within 11 for the first three minutes of the second half, before the Sparks put the game away with a 14-1 run that gave them a 66-42 advantage with 12:32 to play. Los Angeles led by at least 15 for the remainder of the game. "We have to stay consistent with our defense," Fred Williams said. "We're not boxing out. We gave up second shots, and with a good team like the Sparks you can't do that. That was the big difference." Forward DeLisha Milton added 15 for Los Angeles. All 11 Sparks played and scored. Utah forward Adrienne Goodson scored all 13 of her points in the second half, while guard Korie Hlede had 11 and Kate Starbird 10 off the bench. "I thought our defense took them out of a lot of things they wanted to do tonight," Cooper said. "That's what we're about _ defense. We controlled the game." Houston's 15-game winning streak in 1998 is the longest in the WNBA's four-year history. Sparks forward Mwadi Mabika sprained her left thumb in the first half and played five minutes in the second. She was Los Angeles' second-leading scorer entering Sunday's play, averaging 14.5 points per game. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Orlando 68 Detroit 62
Los Angeles 92
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