Sparks Learn Some Hard Truths
The Houston Comets, the WNBA’s defending champions, proved two things at the Great Western Forum Sunday night:
*Their USC players were more productive than the Sparks’ former Trojans.
*Houston is still the best team in the league.
League most valuable player Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson, Trojans both, combined for 50 points in a game Houston broke open at the three-quarter mark and won going away, 79-63, before 7,301.
Houston is 5-0, Los Angeles 2-3. This is not a promising start for the Sparks--the Comets are in the Western Division with them now and there’s not much room for many more losses, not in a 30-game schedule.
Comet Coach Van Chancellor praised his team, winning for the second straight night on the road. Houston won at Sacramento Saturday night, 79-68, then endured a travel foulup Sunday.
Instead of flying to Los Angeles International, the team flew to Orange County, reached its Marina Del Rey hotel at 2 p.m. and didn’t arrive at the Forum until 5:40 p.m., for a 6:30 game.
“I am so proud of these players . . . we had on this trip the worst travel arrangements in the history of team sports, and then to play like this against a good team . . . “ Chancellor said.
Chancellor’s Trojans--Cooper, Thompson and Monica Lamb--scored 64 points.
Julie Rousseau’s USC alums, Lisa Leslie and Pam McGee had 19.
At one point in the second half, half the players on the floor were former Trojans.
The Sparks led once early, 5-4, then didn’t lead again until they achieved three one-point leads in the second half, the last one at 46-45 with 13:06 left.
The Sparks outrebounded Houston, 35-29, but had 20 turnovers and shot only 40%. Cooper was brilliant--29 points with five assists in 37 minutes.
WNBA Notes
Announcer Chick Hearn’s consecutive WNBA games-called streak stands at one. He has called 3,055 consecutive Laker games. . . . Rookie Allison Feaster is wearing a foot cast, using crutches and watching games from the Spark bench. She broke her foot Tuesday at Sacramento and had surgery Friday. She is expected to miss the season. “It’s disappointing, but I’ve got a lot of years of basketball left,” she said. . . . Taking Feaster’s place on the 11-woman roster is ex-Cal State Fullerton center Eugenia Rycraw, who’d been recovering from a knee sprain. . . . Spark president Johnnie Buss said the club sold 4,900 season tickets at season’s start, up from 4,200 a year ago. . . . The team concludes a three-game homestand Wednesday against the Charlotte Sting.