DeForge’s Season-High 26 Points Not Enough In Los Angeles

STAR OF THE GAME ANNA DEFORGE DeForge finished with a season-high 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including four 3-pointers, to go along with four rebounds and four assists. UNSUNG HERO TAMIKA WHITMORE Making her return to Los Angeles, Whitmore had 17 points and seven rebounds. Eleven of her 17 came in the second half. QUOTABLE BRIAN WINTERS In general: “We played hard and did a lot of good things. But we had a tough run in the second quarter where we missed some shots and fell behind. We have to find more ways to score the ball.” “I thought L.A. played well, but it was our inability to score at times that ended up being a big factor.” HIDDEN NUMBERS Points in the paint: Fever 10, Sparks 44 Second-chance points: Fever 8, Sparks 15 Fast-break points: Fever 0, Sparks 3 Points off turnovers: Fever 9, Sparks 15 Starters scoring: Fever 60, Sparks 40 Bench scoring: Fever 0, Sparks 32

GAME REPORT
	Sparks 72, Fever 60
July 7, 2006 at the Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) Box Score | WNBA Recap

LOS ANGELES – On her 34th birthday, Los Angeles center Lisa Leslie had a night to remember. Prior to the game, Leslie had the floor in Staples Center named after her and followed that honor up with a 22 point, 15 rebound, eight assist performance in guiding the Sparks to a 72-60 victory over the Indiana Fever Friday night.

The Sparks, now 11-2 at home and 15-5 overall, own the best record in the WNBA. With the loss, the Fever fell to 12-7 this season and dropped to third in the East standings with one game left before the All-Star break. Indiana remains winless in Los Angeles, having lost all six meetings during the all-time series with the Sparks.

Anna DeForge scored a season-high 26 points, including 18 in the second half, on 11-of-17 shooting. She was also 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Tamika Whitmore, who spent the past two seasons in Los Angeles, finished with 17 points and seven rebounds.

Following Leslie’s 22, Chamique Holdsclaw had 18 points on 9-of-12 shooing off the bench for Los Angeles. Leslie and Holdsclaw were the only two Sparks players in double figures.

Tamika Catchings’ put-back lay-up early in the second quarter gave the Fever its largest lead of the half at 21-12. The Sparks would then go on a 9-0 run, including six consecutive from Holdsclaw, to tie the game at 21. DeForge’s second 3-pointer of the game re-gained the lead for Indiana, 24-21.

Los Angeles outscored Indiana 11-0 to close the second quarter to turn what had been a nine-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Following an Indiana turnover, Temeka Johnson converted a three-point play with 4.2 seconds left in the first half, giving the Sparks a 32-24 lead at halftime. Indiana was outscored 20-5 in the second quarter.

The Fever shot just 24 percent in the first half. Indiana’s five second quarter points were the fewest of the season.

The Sparks led by as many as ten in the third quarter. The Fever used an 8-0 run late in the third to cut Los Angeles’ lead down to just one, 47-46, heading into the final stanza. DeForge scored nine in the quarter as Indiana sliced into what was a double-digit deficit.

Lisa Willis’ 3-pointer to open up the fourth quarter gave the Sparks a four-point lead, 50-46. Los Angeles would slowly pull away as the quarter progressed. Leading 56-52, the Sparks went on an 8-0 run before enjoying its largest lead of the game. Leslie’s lay-up extended Los Angeles’ lead to 12 at 64-52 with just under five minutes left in regulation.