TONIGHT vs. Sacramento 7:30
Site--Great Western Forum.
* Radio--KEZY (1190).
* Records (1998)--Sparks 12-18, Monarchs 8-22.
* Update--It has been literally years in the making, the matchup tonight of arguably the two best low-post players in the women’s game, Lisa Leslie and Yolanda Griffith. When she played for the ABL’s Long Beach StingRays in the 1997-98 season, the 6-foot-3 Griffith was the league’s No. 4 scorer at 18.8 points per game and the No. 2 rebounder, at 11.2. After the StingRays were disbanded, Griffith was sent to the Chicago Condors. But early in its third season, the ABL folded. Months later, Sacramento made her the WNBA’s second overall draft pick. The 6-5 Leslie, in her third season with the Sparks, last season led the league in rebounding at 10.2 and was the No. 3 scorer at 19.6. With the additions of DeLisha Milton (6-2), Clarisse Machanguana (6-5) and La’Keshia Frett (6-3), Leslie figures to have more help inside than Griffith tonight. In the Monarchs’ last exhibition game, Griffith had 10 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes in an 80-58 rout of Cleveland. Los Angeles beat Detroit in its exhibition finale and Leslie had 18 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes. Also making her WNBA debut tonight is Sacramento’s Kate Starbird, the former Stanford player and Naismith Award winner. She played with the Seattle Reign of the ABL and was Sacramento’s third draft pick.
* Tickets--(310) 330-3939 or Ticketmaster.
SPARKS SCHEDULE
GAMES AT FORUM IN CAPS; ALL TIMES PDT
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Date Opponent Time Thursday SACRAMENTO 7:30 Saturday at Cleveland 4 Tuesday at Orlando 4:30 June 18 at New York 4 June 19 at Charlotte 4:30 June 22 at Houston 5 June 24 MINNESOTA 7:30 June 26 at Sacramento 7 June 28 UTAH 7:30 July 1 at Minnesota 5 July 2 at Detroit 4:30 July 5 CLEVELAND 7:30 July 7 at Phoenix 7 July 9 SACRAMENTO 7:30 July 11 PHOENIX 1 July 14 All-Star game 4:30 at New York July 17 at Phoenix 1 July 18 HOUSTON 5:30 July 21 PHOENIX 7:30 July 24 NEW YORK July 27 ORLANDO 7:30 July 30 UTAH 6 July 31 WASHINGTON 7:30 Aug. 5 at Utah 6 Aug. 6 at Minnesota 5 Aug. 9 DETROIT 7:30 Aug. 10 at Sacramento 7 Aug. 12 at Houston 5:30 Aug. 14 at Washington 1 Aug. 16 CHARLOTTE 7:30 Aug. 18 MINNESOTA 7:30 Aug. 20 HOUSTON 7:30 Aug. 21 at Utah 6
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SPARKS ROSTER
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No. Player Pos. Ht. Age College/Country 45 Nina Bjedov C 6-6 27 Yugoslavia 21 Tamecka Dixon G 5-9 23 Kansas 5 Allison Feaster G/F 5-11 23 Harvard 15 Ukari Figgs G 5-9 22 Purdue 00 La’Keshia Frett F 6-3 23 Georgia 6 Gordana Grubin G 5-11 26 Yugoslavia 9 Lisa Leslie C 6-5 26 USC 4 Mwadi Mabika G/F 5-11 22 Congo 33 Clarisse Machanguana C 6-5 22 Old Dominion/Mozambique 8 DeLisha Milton F 6-2 24 Florida 11 Penny Toler G 5-8 33 Long Beach State 14 *Sandra VanEmbriqs F/C 6-3 31 UCLA 10 *Jamila Wideman G 5-6 23 Stanford
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Head coach: Orlando Woolridge
Assistant coaches: Colleen Matsuhara, Michael Cooper
* Injured list
