Sparks’ Plans Tied Up

The Sparks didn’t know what it was like to lose to Sacramento--or in Staples Center--this season.

That changed Sunday.

And for those who wondered if the WNBA Western Conference finals were going to be a series at all, they know now.

The Monarchs rose up and smacked the Sparks between the eyes with an 80-60 blowout victory to even the best-of-three series at 1-1. The deciding game will be played here tonight at 7.

“We had a tough loss [Friday],” Monarch Coach Maura McHugh said. “But one thing I kept saying is I feel our team has matured a lot since the playoffs. We are mentally so much tougher. We are able to spring back.”

“We were in no way ready to fold. I knew we would compete today.”

Before their largest home crowd of the season--11,972, including Laker stars Shaquille O’Neal and Derek Fisher--the Sparks sustained their biggest loss of the season, and their first defeat at Staples Center.

While it doesn’t affect their regular-season home winning streak (22 and counting), it certainly puts in danger the Sparks’ hopes to win the WNBA title.

“I thought Sacramento played one hell of a basketball game today,” Spark Coach Michael Cooper said. “They came here very committed; we knew that’s what they were going to do, but they came here and took care of business. They had a hot hand.

“But the luxury of going 28-4 gives you two games at your place. We’re obviously concerned by the way we played today, but we’ll put something together tomorrow and come back.”

Sacramento pulled off the upset (and it’s hard to call it that considering the Monarchs led, 41-37, at halftime and never trailed in the second half) by putting the wraps on the Sparks’ Lisa Leslie with a tight zone and making other players beat them from the outside. Or to put it another way, the same kind of defense the Sparks used on the Monarchs’ Yolanda Griffith to win Sacramento.

It worked because the Sparks put the ball everywhere on the basket, except through it, shooting 32.8% (22 of 67). The Monarchs weren’t great,--44.3% (31 of 70)--but made all the big baskets, including a league playoff record 10 three-point shots.

Griffith, finding the kind of room to operate inside that she didn’t have in Game 1, led all scorers with 24 points. “The other night I kind of rushed my shots,” she said. “Today I took my time, and I took advantage of certain situations that were in front of me. You can’t rush, you have to let the game come to you. And that’s what I did today.”

But there were other Monarch heroes.

On defense, the Sparks dared Monarch guard Ticha Penicheiro to beat them from the outside. The move backfired big-time. Penicheiro made seven of 12 field-goal attempts, including five of seven three-point shots, and scored a playoff career-high 19 points in addition to handing out seven assists.

“We put the onus on Ticha to make the open shot, and she did exactly that,” Milton said. “She did a great job of stepping up.”

Ruthie Bolton-Holifield came off the bench and added 17.

The Sparks, led by Leslie’s 13 points and 10 rebounds, and 12 points by Milton, compounded their poor shooting with bad ballhandling, committing 20 turnovers. And Leslie had only two points in the second half.

With the crowd’s cheers still ringing in her ears after being presented the league 2001 MVP trophy before the tipoff, Leslie made the game’s first basket, and the Sparks bolted to a 7-0 lead while the Monarchs missed their first six shots.

But instead letting their eyes glaze over and accepting their fate, the Monarchs stormed back.

Tamecka Dixon’s three-point shot with 4:31 to play gave the Sparks a 37-27 lead. It would be the last basket scored by a Spark in the half. The Monarchs scored 14 consecutive points, culminating with Penicheiro’s high-arching layup over Leslie that barely banked off the glass with 1.7 seconds to play.

Sacramento never let the momentum switch back.

Now it’s a one-game series.

And for the Monarchs to complete what would be an amazing turnaround?

“We have to do the same things we did today,” McHugh said. “We have to play with a lot of confidence and energy on both ends of the floor.

“I feel this win will be hollow if we don’t get one more. It’s great to make a breakthrough and get a win, but we need [one more] now.”