LOS ANGELES — It was a game to remember.
This video equals a thousand words. And three decades in the making.
The Sparks were down 17 in the third quarter. Los Angeles chipped it little by little and even took the lead at one point. After Breanna Stewart split two free throws to give the Liberty a 97-95 lead with under 10 seconds left. With no timeouts, Erica Wheeler took it the length of the court and found an open Nneka Ogwumike for the game-winning three. The Sparks won a thriller, 98-97.
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Were there any options for the final play?
“Well, because when we didn’t have it, when we were in the timeout when they were reviewing it, we weren’t sure if we were going to be down… we were only up one or they were up one. We knew we were going to be down two or three, so we drew it up for a three. But the players knew that we only needed two but they all collapsed on the drive and found Nneka.”
It was fitting for an anniversary game for the 30th season when both Sparks and Liberty legends like Lisa Leslie, DeLisha Milton-Jones, and Teresa Weatherspoon were in attendance. And, yes, it was fitting for a Sparks icon like Nneka Ogwumike to make that three-pointer.
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“Remarkable, and I said that in the locker room,” Roberts reacted. “I think everyone in our locker room wouldn’t have picked another person to hit that shot. What she’s done for this league… she’s one of one. So on a night like tonight where we’re honoring the legacy, not only of the Sparks, but of the league and what Nneka has done for this league, especially recently with getting that new CBA done, it’s powerful when you think about it. It’s really cool and that’s what sports can do is bring out those moments but just you couldn’t have scripted any better.”
The crowd was as loud as it’s ever been in Crypto.Com Arena. The 18,000+ in attendance was especially loud as the Sparks rallied back in the second half and it was like an explosion when Ogwumike made the game-winner.
“The crowd was unbelievable tonight,” Sparks guard Rae Burrell said. “That was our sixth man right there. Just being able to have that energy when we play, it just makes it so much fun. I think they fueled us when we needed it, honestly.”
As mentioned, the Sparks came back from 17 down in the third quarter.
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“Yeah, I’m proud of them. That’s what I said,” Coach Roberts said. “That’s toughness. And we’ve been searching for consistency in that regard. The second half, defensively, we showed some toughness on the rebounding front as well. That’s what it takes. And you have to just stay steady and not get too high or too low. When we were down 17 there in the third, we…”
“She yelled at us,” guard Erica Wheeler humorously interjected.
“I might have,” Roberts mused. “But they responded. And that’s toughness. You have two choices. You can kind of just fold or you can get up and fight. They did that. And it’s awesome to be rewarded with the win.”
The Liberty were dissecting the Sparks with three-pointers for the first two-and-a-half quarters. Then the Sparks bogged down defensively as the Liberty ended up having 16 turnovers (the Sparks had nine). Los Angeles was able to score 10 straight as the game got into the fourth. Nneka Ogwumike would take over in the last few minutes and scored 12 of the last 14 Sparks points, including the now-iconic game-winner.
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Both teams actually had six players each that scored in double-figures. Ogwumike led the Sparks with 24 points while Burrell, who was also celebrating her birthday, scored 19. For New York, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each scored 18 while rookie Pauline Astier had 17 off the bench.
The Sparks are back to .500. They will take a few days off before they go international for the first time in the regular season. They will take on the Tempo in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
