Sparks’ Experience Pays Off in Victory
Even down by 13 points in the second half, the Sparks didn’t panic. They rarely do.
Lisa Leslie scored 14 points after halftime and the Sparks rallied for a 79-71 win Tuesday night over Cleveland, spoiling the Rockers’ WNBA season opener and a visit from LeBron James.
Leslie finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, Tamecka Dixon had 18 points and Nikki Teasley 16 for the two-time defending champion Sparks (2-0), who held the Rockers scoreless over the final 3:08.
“We showed a lot of poise getting back in the game,” Leslie said. “That comes from playing together and having confidence in one another.”
The Sparks trailed, 46-33, with 17:58 left, but with Dixon scoring from the outside and Leslie powering inside for easy baskets, the Sparks came back with a 50-point second half.
Betty Lennox scored 23 points in her debut for Cleveland, but she couldn’t stop the Rockers from losing their 10th in a row at Gund Arena.
“The most disturbing thing is we gave up 19 points over the last five minutes,” Rocker Coach Dan Hughes said. “That means we’re giving up a lot of layups. We let Leslie have [the ball] too low, too many times.”
Lennox, acquired by the Rockers last month in the league’s dispersal draft, scored 17 points in the first half as the Rockers built their lead before a crowd of 14,061, including high school star and Cavalier-to-be James.
But the Sparks kept chipping away and tied the game at 66 with 3:38 left on Mwadi Mabika’s basket.
Lennox countered with a three-point basket for Cleveland, but after Teasley made a three-pointer, Leslie’s two free throws gave the Sparks a 73-71 lead -- their first since 19-17 -- with 2:05 to go.
Cleveland missed two consecutive shots and Leslie put back her own miss underneath to make it 75-71 with 1:27 remaining.
After a turnover, Dixon scored on a layup to put the Sparks up by six and put the Rockers away.
“I just missed shots in the second half,” Lennox said. “There was no extra pressure, I just missed.”
The Sparks were leading, 19-17, when Leslie picked up her third foul with 8:06 left in the first half.
With Leslie on the bench, Lennox scored 10 points as the Rockers went on a 22-10 run to take a 39-29 halftime lead.