Shot at buzzer forces Sparks to a Game 3
SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Coach Dan Hughes had no doubt who was going to take the final shot with the Silver Stars’ season on the line: Sophia Young.
Young delivered with a 14-foot turnaround shot at the buzzer to lift the Silver Stars to a 67-66 win over the Sparks on Saturday, forcing a deciding Game 3 today in the WNBA’s Western Conference finals.
“She’s just a player you can get a lot from in those situations,” Hughes said. “It’s not about the play, it’s about the player.”
Young finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead San Antonio.
L.A. rallied from a 14-point deficit to take a one-point lead with 1.3 seconds left on Delisha Milton-Jones’ lay-in.
After a timeout, San Antonio took the ball at half court. Young grabbed the inbound pass and hit the turnaround from the wing to keep the Silver Stars’ playoff hopes alive.
“I thought it was a very, very, very well-played basketball game by both teams,” Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. “San Antonio showed you why they are the top team in the Western Conference with the record they have; then we showed why we are an up-and-coming team. The Western Conference is at stake, so both teams will go at it again.”
Candace Parker led the Sparks with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Lisa Leslie had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Milton-Jones finished with 14 points.
“It was a great shot,” said Leslie, a three-time MVP. “You need a little luck to play this game. Hail Mary, right? But we still feel really good about our chances.”
Becky Hammon added 19 points and Ann Wauters had 11 as San Antonio looks for its first trip to the finals. It advanced to the Western Conference finals last year, losing to the eventual champion, the Phoenix Mercury.
Los Angeles is looking to return to its first finals since 2003, when it lost to the Detroit Shock. The Sparks won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.
The Sparks have not won at San Antonio since July 26, 2006.
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SPARKS TODAY
at San Antonio Silver Stars, Game 3 of Western Conference finals, 2 p.m. PDT, ESPN2.