Dearica Hamby recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Sparks snapped a three-game losing streak with an 81–72 defeat of the visiting Dallas Wings on Friday.
The contest was part of the Commissioner’s Cup competition. Los Angeles (3–7) has a 1–2 mark in Commissioner’s Cup games, while Dallas (3–6) is 0–3.
The Sparks went on a 10–1 run in the fourth quarter, ignited by a Lexie Brown 3-pointer with 7:42 remaining. The burst opened up a seven-point Los Angeles lead, and the hosts held on the rest of the way, thanks in part to the Sparks holding the Wings without a field goal for more than seven minutes.
Los Angeles limited Dallas to 2-of-17 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc, with Arike Ogunbowale going 0-for-9.
Ogunbowale, the WNBA’s second-leading scorer coming into play Friday, finished with 22 points despite her 3-point shooting woes. She hit 10 of 28 attempts from the floor overall. Maddy Siegrist added 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
No other Dallas player reached double figures, however, as they combined to shoot 10-for-34 from the field.
Sevgi Uzun scored nine points but also missed all three of her 3-point attempts. Monique Billings finished with eight points and 12 rebounds.
Los Angeles got 16 points off the bench from Brown, eight of which jump-started the Sparks in the first quarter after a slow start. Dallas jumped to a 10–2 lead before Los Angeles rallied, leading to a hotly contested game the rest of the way.
Brown wound up 4-for-8 from 3-point range and matched fellow reserve Aari McDonald for the game high with six assists. McDonald chipped in seven points.
Los Angeles’ Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, posted her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow rookie Rickea Jackson scored eight points.
Dallas saw its losing streak reach four games. The Wings’ last win came on May 26 against the Sparks.
