Silver Stars Clinch Playoff Berth, Top Sparks

San Antonio 76, Los Angeles 58

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 5 (AP) -- Edwige Lawson-Wade scored a career-high 14 points and Ann Wauters added 12 to help the San Antonio Silver Stars clinch a spot in the playoffs with a 76-58 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night.

It will be the second straight playoff appearance for the Silver Stars (20-10), who also got 11 points from Becky Hammon.

"This was a well-played game by the Silver Stars,'' Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. "They established intensity and the will to win early.''

The Sparks (18-13) were looking for their fifth consecutive victory and second over San Antonio in six days. They were led by 17 points from Candace Parker.

Lawson-Wade's effort off the bench broke the game open in the second quarter. She was 4-of-4 from the floor including three from the 3-point line in 10 minutes - as San Antonio turned a one-point deficit into a 14-point lead at halftime.

"The more playing time I get the more comfortable I get,'' Lawson-Wade said. "Tonight they expected me to shoot the ball, so that's what I tried to do.''

After trailing by six in the first quarter, the Sparks took their only lead of the game on Temeka Johnson's layup 1:26 into the second quarter.

The Sparks missed 9 of 12 shots during the next eight minutes and were outscored 21-6 to trail by 14 at halftime.

"That run was a major turning point in this game,'' Parker said.

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