Three-Point Basket by Mapp Stings the Most in Sparks’ Loss

That long Spark trip that starts today grew longer Sunday night, lengthened by a long three-point basket that plunged a rocking Forum crowd into silence.

Rhonda Mapp, a 6-foot-2 Charlotte Sting center who had tried only four three-point shots all season, made one from well beyond the NBA three-point arc with 1:44 to go.

The Sparks never recovered as the Sting went on to a 77-70 victory.

The Sparks (8-12) failed in their quest to sweep the three-game homestand, going 1-2. Charlotte improved to 10-7, but remains in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Los Angeles remains in second place in the West, where all four teams are below .500.

Mapp hurt the Sparks in the low post all night, scoring a game-high 21 points.

But no one in the building expected her to douse the Sparks with a three-point basket.

“We were doing everything we could to prevent [Vicky] Bullett from hurting us with the three, so when Mapp went out beyond the NBA line and let it go, I thought, ‘Good, that’s we want,’ ” Spark center Lisa Leslie said.

At the time, the Sparks were on a roll, led by guards Penny Toler and Tamecka Dixon (a combined 37 points and seven steals).

The Sting seemed to be on the verge of finally giving up a lead it held through most of the half (there were five ties) when Mapp made her big shot.

Most in the announced crowd of 8,792 were on their feet at the time, cheering, because Toler had just made an 18-foot jump shot with 2:04 to go, cutting Charlotte’s lead to 69-68.

The Sparks’ Katrina Colleton made a driving layup to cut the deficit to 72-70 at the one-minute mark, but two Tora Suber free throws gave Charlotte a 74-70 lead.

Unlike their Friday loss to Houston, the Sparks were able get into a running game, scoring on fast breaks on four of their first five possessions. For the game, they outscored Charlotte, 24-8, on fast-break points.

The difference was at the three-point line. Charlotte made seven of 12 from beyond the arc, Los Angeles only one of eight.

The Sting made 12 of 14 free throws, the Sparks 11 of 16.

So in the end, it didn’t matter that the Sparks dominated in rebounding, 30-20.

Coach Julie Rousseau must now lead her team through a three-game trip that begins Tuesday in New York. The Sparks play at Cleveland on Thursday and at Houston on Saturday.

“I’m proud of our players’ effort tonight, but the reality is we’ve got to go through these last eight games and knock ‘em down,” she said.

“The circumstances may seem insurmountable to some, but we believe we can sneak into those places and win.”

So does Dixon, the Kansas rookie who had another outstanding game with 18 points.

“We’ll pull together on the road, this team plays better on the road,” she said, mentioning recent victories at Phoenix and Sacramento.

The 6-8 Haixia Zheng played 31 minutes and scored 11 points, but she again showed considerable defensive liabilities. When she was in the low post, Charlotte attacked her with frequent success.