Streaking Sparks Make It 7 in Row
Lisa Leslie, named to the WNBA All-Star game earlier in the day, had 15 points, eight rebounds and five of the Sparks’ WNBA-record 13 blocked shots Wednesday night in a 75-61 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at Phoenix--the Sparks’ seventh consecutive victory.
Ukari Figgs scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half, Tamecka Dixon, who will join Leslie as a reserve for the West team in Monday’s All-Star game at Orlando, Fla., scored 14 points and DeLisha Milton had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Sparks.
Latasha Byears had three blocks, Milton and reserve Rhonda Mapp two and Figgs one for the Sparks.
“It was cool to see,” Dixon said. “We were in our zone, forcing them baseline, and once they went baseline we were letting our big girls handle them.”
The Sparks have won nine in a row over the Mercury, seven in the regular season.
Jennifer Gillom had 15 points for the Mercury, and Maria Stepanova scored 12.
The Mercury, trying to avenge a 73-50 defeat at Staples Center last Thursday, trailed at halftime, 31-22, and never got closer after Dixon made a baseline jump shot to start the second half.
Figgs made one of her four three-point baskets with 11:02 to play, giving the Sparks a 55-40 lead, and gave her team its biggest lead, 60-42, with another three-point basket with 8:30 remaining.
Detroit 64, Washington 52--Astou Ndiaye-Diatta had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Shock in front of 19,093 at Washington.
New York 67, Seattle 53--Becky Hammon scored 16 points to lead the Liberty at New York.
Cleveland 76, Indiana 58--Penny Taylor and Helen Darling each scored 14 points as the Rockers romped at Indianapolis.
Lisa Harrison of the Mercury sees it as a career move: If selected, she will pose nude for Playboy.
“Listen, I need the publicity, I need money,” she told the Arizona Republic on Tuesday. “I’m not getting it in the WNBA, so I’ll have to do it my own way.”
Harrison has 1,000 votes more than any of the nine other nominees in the poll being done on the magazine’s Web site.