LOS ANGELES — Effort and execution. Grit and determination. All of it gave the Sparks an opportunity to win with 11.1 seconds left in their game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
And Sparks guard Jordin Canada delivered. Her team trailing by two points, Canada drained a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left, and the Sparks held on for a 79-78 win.
The Sparks scored seven of the final nine points to secure their first victory since beating Dallas in back-to-back games in late June.
All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike scored a season-high 30 points, Canada had 20 and forward Azurá Stevens contributed 15 as the trio combined for 65 points and actually outscored Indiana 39-38 in the first half to help give the Sparks a 47-38 advantage at the intermission.
However, Indiana guard Victoria Vivians’ three-point play capped a 12-4 run to begin the second half, which cut the Sparks’ lead to 51-50. Indiana took a 61-60 lead on a mid-range jumper by All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell late in the third quarter and still led for much of the fourth quarter.
A floater by Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon cut Indiana’s lead to 68-67 with 4:15 remaining in the fourth.
A pair of Ogwumike free throws tied the score at 72-all with 2:08 left, but Fever point guard Erica Wheeler, who played for the Sparks in 2021, made a layup 10 seconds later and Kelsey Mitchell’s stepback jumper pushed Indiana’s lead to 76-72 with 1:30 left.
A Stevens jumper got the Sparks back within two points with 1:13 left, but a pair of Wheeler free throws gave Indiana a 78-74 advantage with 57 seconds to go. Ogwumike grabbed a loose ball in the paint and scored to pull the Sparks within 78-76 with 38.1 seconds left.
Indiana worked the clock on its next possession, but Victoria Vivians was off on a long 3-point attempt at the end of the shot clock, setting the stage for Canada’s big basket. After Canada made her contested 3-pointer, Indiana’s Mitchell had a good look from…
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