The Sparks overcame a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the Washington Mystics 70-68 on Tuesday at Walter Pyramid for their first win of the season. The Sparks (1-2) avoided their first 0-3 start since 2015 thanks to a balanced offense led by Lexi Brown’s 20 points.
The guard made two free throws with 14.7 seconds left to give the Sparks a three-point lead, but the Mystics (0-4) scored quickly on the other end with a layup by Arielle Atkins. Sparks guard Kia Nurse made just 1 of 2 free throws with 7.6 seconds left, leaving the door ajar for the Mystics.
Cameron Brink nailed it. The No. 2 overall pick shut down Sharika Austin on Washington’s final possession, not allowing Washington’s forwards to even take a shot at the buzzer.
Spectators waving green cheering towels at the team’s mental health awareness game rocked Pyramid. After two games in Long Beach, the Sparks will return to Crypto.com Arena downtown on Friday to host the Indiana Fever in rookie Caitlin Clark’s LA debut.
Brink had four points and eight rebounds, and fellow rookie Rikea Jackson played a season-best 31 minutes with nine points and three rebounds.
DeArica Hamby scored 14 of her 17 points in the third quarter to help the Sparks rally from a 36-32 halftime deficit. Despite missing five of six shots, the forward still managed to grab 12 rebounds in the first half, bettering her league-leading average of 11.5 boards per game.
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The two-time WNBA Player of the Year has averaged 24.5 points through the first two games of the year. Hunting for her third All-Star selection in four years, Hamby had achieved her preseason goal of being her team’s Most Valuable Player.
She proved herself in the third quarter as well.
The nine-year WNBA veteran scored eight points in a 14-5 win over the Sparks that started midway through the third quarter, erasing Washington’s nine-point lead. Hamby got off to a winning start with back-to-back layups. When she missed the free throw, she grabbed the offensive rebound and made a layup. She then assisted Nurse on a game-tying 3-pointer with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
Nurse made three important three-point shots in the second half and finished with 12 points. Hamby had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career best.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
