Sparks Are Up to the Challenge

This time, the Sparks got it right.

Two days after a 25-point lead disappeared in a 79-73 loss to Detroit, the Sparks survived a second-half challenge to edge the Indiana Fever, 61-58, on Tuesday night.

WNBA scoring leader Chamique Holdsclaw had 17 points, and Tamika Whitmore completed a three-point play with 41 seconds to go for the victory.

“We really gutted this one out. It was a disappointing loss at Detroit,” Holdsclaw said. “It was not good for the morale of this team.”

Whitmore finished with 15 points. Her offensive rebound, layup and free throw ended the scoring.

“I just thought to myself that if the rebound came off on the weak side I would just go up strong,” Whitmore said. “And if they were going to blow the whistle, they would blow the whistle.”

Still, the victory wasn’t secured until Indiana’s Tully Bevilaqua’s three-point shot from the corner bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Whitmore said the Sparks put the Detroit game behind them.

“It was out of our minds,” she said.

The team realized that the 13 turnovers in the first half against Indiana were too many.

“We knew we had to come out and execute,” she said.

The Sparks beat Indiana for the seventh time in eight games despite 21 turnovers, which led to 16 Fever points.

The Sparks (8-6) did help itself by making 14 of 15 free throws. Indiana (8-5) was nine of 10 from the line.

“We’ve had some bad nights where we didn’t shoot it well from the line. Tonight was a good night,” Spark Coach Henry Bibby said.

Indiana, which lost for the first time in seven home games, rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to tie the score five times.

A steal by Tamecka Dixon followed by her 17-foot basket gave the Sparks a 58-56 lead before Indiana tied the score for the last time at 58-58.

“We didn’t play well enough to win,” Indiana Coach Brian Winters said.

Kelly Miller led Indiana with 12 points.

The first half was tight with seven ties and seven lead changes. The Sparks opened their biggest edge of the half with nine consecutive points to lead 29-22 before going scoreless in the final 3:31 to lead, 29-25.