Sacramento Maintains Edge Against Sparks

The Sparks relinquished seven second-half leads, shot 35.5% from the floor and lost for the sixth time in seven games Wednesday night at the Great Western Forum, this time to the Sacramento Monarchs, 76-71.

So the red lights, despite the victory Tuesday against Charlotte, resume blinking over this franchise. The team is 3-8 and attendance is plummeting.

Wednesday’s crowd, an announced 4,851, was the Sparks’ smallest ever, and it came after the team drew only 5,927 Tuesday.

Los Angeles dropped to 0 for 3 against Sacramento, which improved to 4-8.

The Monarchs were led to victory down the stretch of a tight game by, as usual, Latasha Byears--a player who has ordinary numbers against other teams but is an all-star against Los Angeles.

The 5-foot-11 Byears had 18 points and her running mate, 6-4 rookie Tangela Smith, had 20. Both, along with Bridgette Gordon and Linda Burgess, had a successful defensive effort against the Sparks’ Lisa Leslie, who had two points in the first half and finished with 18.

Still, Leslie had a chance to give Los Angeles a lead with 25 seconds left, but her team’s final play misfired.

With the Sparks trailing, 72-71, Leslie wound up with a top-of-the-key three-point attempt that was an air ball. Byears then made two free throws to clinch it, Smith scoring a layup with a second left.

It was easily the Sparks’ worst shooting night of the season. They missed about 10 layups and uncontested putbacks and shot 35.5% to Sacramento’s 52%.

The difference, probably, was an ever-changing defense on Leslie.

“We switched people off and on her all game, trying to show her a lot of different looks,” said Monarch Coach Heidi VanDerveer.

And why has Byears become the WNBA’s top Spark-killer? She averages 11 points against the league and 17 against the Sparks.

VanDerveer: “Latasha is a survivalist. She’s a winner--the kind of player who can figure out how to beat you. So you keep her in there late in the game.”

In the last 2:50, she scored six points. Smith, who tied L.A.’s Tamecka Dixon for game-high honors with 20), made huge back-to-back plays for Sacramento in the closing minutes.

She sank a 16-footer and a free throw with 4:53 to go for a 63-58 Sacramento lead, then a three-pointer at 3:26 for 66-62.

Then a Dixon drive and two Penny Toler free throws at 2:15 produced the Sparks’ final lead, 69-68.

Leslie played only 13 minutes in the first half and didn’t score until 2:40 remained before halftime. Still, the game was tied, 28-28, at the break. Leslie was one for five from the floor, guarded tightly by Smith and Byears.

L.A. had two runs before halftime, 13-4 to start the game and a 7-2 spurt to go up by 21-14 with six minutes left.

The Monarchs had two ties early but didn’t lead until Franthea Price made a three-pointer with 1:14 left for 28-26.

Spark Notes

The Sparks end their four-game home stand Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Cleveland Rockers.