Sparks Rely on Youth, and It Works

Thanks to the WNBA’s youngest player, Mwadi Mabika, the Los Angeles Sparks proved they could win a tough, physical game on the road.

A 20-year-old, graceful, raw talent from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Mabika made three huge layups in the stretch, teaming with Lisa Leslie to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 74-62 victory Thursday night over the Cleveland Rockers before an announced 7,414 at Gund Arena.

Mabika was considered the best young player at the 1996 Olympic tournament, where she impressed Spark General Manager Rhonda Windham. Exit visa problems prevented her from attending the WNBA combine in Orlando, Fla., which was probably a break for the Sparks, because Windham quietly got her to the Sparks’ May tryouts at Loyola Marymount.

The Sparks (3-3), who never trailed, got these big plays from Mabika:

* With 4:42 left and the Sparks having seen their lead reduced to 58-56, Mabika drove down the lane and gracefully made a layup for a 60-56 lead.

* Cleveland (1-4) answered with a basket, but once again Mabika drove right by the Rockers’ post players for another layup, this time with authority, for a 62-58 lead.

* At 66-60 with 1:30 left, she provided the clincher. She picked up a deflection by Linda Burgess at midcourt and brought it back for another layup for a 68-60 lead.

Coach Linda Sharp said afterward that Mabika, though not a starter, will be on the floor in all crunch situations.

“Mwadi tends to play unconsciously . . . she’s all instinct, she doesn’t worry about a thing,” Sharp said.

“She goes to the basket hard, and that’s why I’ll have her in there in situations like that.”

The 5-foot-11, high-leaping Mabika--whose U.S. sponsor is countryman Dikembe Mutombo of the Atlanta Hawks--took some pressure off Leslie, who had been the Sparks’ heart and soul for 35 minutes, scoring 19 points, getting seven rebounds and blocking three shots. Leslie encountered a physical matchup with Cleveland’s Janice Braxton so intense at times that the two seemed close to blows more than once.

“We broke through a barrier tonight,” Sharp said.

“We found out how to win a tough game on the road. When things got close at the end, we got very tough and that was a first for this team.”

The Sparks’ improving defense forced 28 Cleveland turnovers, many of them down the stretch. Rookie point guard Jamila Wideman was particularly effective, clearly bothering Cleveland’s Jenny Boucek (seven turnovers).

But as the Sparks approach the one-quarter mark of the season, one wonders how long the 6-5, 170-pound Leslie can stand up under elbow and shoulder barrages by the likes of 6-5, 200-pound Isabelle Fijalkowski and the 6-3, 178-pound Braxton.

Leslie needed a massage Thursday morning to rid herself of kinks from Monday’s game at Houston. She may need another one today, just to get to the airport.

“This was physically the toughest game yet for us, but I can handle it,” Leslie said.

“You hurt all over the next day, but games like this make you tougher and better. You have to step up and be tough to not allow the game to get away, and that’s what we did. When we had problems, we just fought through them.”

Added Sharp: “Don’t worry about Lisa. She’s tougher than she looks.”

*

Phoenix 77, Utah 55--Jennifer Gillom scored 21 points and Bridget Pettis added 12 of her 14 in the first half as the Mercury (3-2) routed the Starzz (2-4) before 6,718 at Salt Lake City.

Phoenix came within a point of matching the largest victory in the league’s brief history.

Wendy Palmer had 19 points for the Starzz.