Holdsclaw Leads Spark Win

There was a moment late in the first half Saturday when Chamique Holdsclaw rebounded a missed shot by Lisa Leslie, then heard Leslie clap twice for a return pass. She whipped the ball back to Leslie inside the lane for a layup and eventual three-point play.

Before she went to the line, Leslie threw a big bearhug on Holdsclaw.

A lot of plays worked like that for the Sparks on Saturday night, as they roared to a 47-21 halftime lead, equaling a franchise record for the largest margin at halftime, then withstood a Sacramento rally to defeat the Monarchs, 81-74, in front of 8,461 at Staples Center.

In squaring their record at 4-4, and handing the Western Conference-leading Monarchs their second loss in eight games, the Sparks rode the scoring of Holdsclaw and Tamika Whitmore, who had 25 and 19 points respectively.

Nikki Teasley, who had gone scoreless the last two games, added 11.

Leslie, restricted because of a groin injury she sustained in training camp, had 10 points and four blocked shots.

“We came out aggressive and on our toes,” said Spark Coach Henry Bibby, noting that Los Angeles shot 61.3% in the first half, and 55.2% for the game.

“We were moving the basketball, making four-five passes each possession, and when you do that you’re going to get open shots.

“Second half we went away from what got us that big lead, going one-on-one and getting impatient with the ball. And we didn’t play the defense ... our intensity broke down. So thank God for the first half.”

Although the Monarchs used a 15-0 run in the second half and closed within seven points at the end, the Sparks saw the game as a step forward.

“It was like us when we’ve had to fight back in the second half when you get down by so much,” said Holdsclaw, who was 11 of 15 from the field and had seven rebounds.

“We knew they would come out more aggressive in the second half, but I was glad we were able to hold our composure. Each game we’re getting better; hopefully in the next game we can put it all together.”

Sacramento, which had 16 points from Yolanda Griffith and 13 each from Nicole Powell and DeMya Walker, entered with the league’s best record.

But they had also played on Friday, and are in the midst of a three-games-in-four-nights swing.

They looked tired and distracted in the first half, but never quit. They just ran out of time.

Coach John Whisenant, while stopping short of saying he may have the best team in the league at this point, did say the Monarchs’ strong defensive play has had the most to do with his team’s success.

“Defenses get ahead of offenses early,” Whisenant said. “That’s very common. We hope our defense is this good; it got us through to the [Western] conference finals last year.”

Defense was definitely the Sparks’ forte in the first half, as the Monarchs struggled from the field, making only seven of 31 shots (22.6%). It resulted in Los Angeles’ going on a 33-6 run.

The Sparks had their biggest lead, 46-15, on two free throws by Teasley with 1:39 left in the half.