Sparks pull out overtime victory over Lynx

MINNEAPOLIS -- Lisa Leslie scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter and overtime Sunday to lead the Sparks to a 92-84 victory over the host Minnesota Lynx.

Rookie Candace Parker also finished with 23 points for the Sparks in the WNBA’s last game before its Olympic break.

“To finish and get one is great, and obviously it is a good feeling for the girls that don’t have to practice for three weeks,” Leslie said.

Seimone Augustus -- who will join Leslie, Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones on Team USA -- had 29 points for the Lynx (13-13), who missed all six of their shots in overtime. The 24-year-old Augustus also became the second-youngest WNBA player to reach 2,000 points, needing only 93 games to reach the milestone. Cynthia Cooper needed 90 games to reach the mark in 2000.

Lindsey Harding went one for two from the line with 1:49 left in regulation to tie the score, 84-84. In the final seconds, Augustus missed from the perimeter, giving the Sparks one last chance to win the game, but Parker couldn’t inbound the ball with 0.7 seconds left and the game went to overtime. The Lynx did not score in the extra period.

“It does a lot for our confidence going into the break,” Parker said.

The Lynx played their second game without Candice Wiggins, who has a bruised lower back.