Stars return, but Sparks fall

NEW YORK -- The Sparks got Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones back from their one-game suspensions but still lost to the New York Liberty, 69-68, Friday at Madison Square Garden.

The Sparks came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter before Janel McCarville’s layup with 6.4 seconds left lifted the Liberty (14-10).

Leslie, Parker and Milton-Jones -- the Sparks’ three U.S. Olympians -- had been suspended for their involvement in Tuesday’s altercation with the Detroit Shock. Shannon Bobbitt and Muriel Page still are serving their two-game suspensions. The Sparks (14-12) had a 68-67 lead with 11 seconds left when McCarville drove on Leslie and scored on a tough shot.

“I was frustrated that I turned the ball over on the two possessions leading up to the shot I hit,” McCarville said.

The Sparks had one last chance, but Leslie’s shot in the lane at the buzzer bounced out.

“It didn’t come down to that last play,” Milton-Jones said. “We can’t have that many turnovers and expect to win.”

The Sparks finished the game with 20 turnovers.