LOS ANGELES, Aug. 4 (Ticker) -- Latasha Byears was in the right place at the right time for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Byears scored a critical basket with 11 seconds left as the Sparks blew a 17-point lead before holding on for a 90-86 victory over the Utah Starzz.

Starzz-Sparks: 56k | 300k

Los Angeles held an 87-86 lead after Utah's Jennifer Azzi nailed a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left. The Sparks worked down the shot clock as the Starzz dug in on defense.

With time running down, Mwadi Mabika forced up a long 3-pointer that was an airball. It came right to Byears, who put it in for a three-point cushion. The Sparks forced a jump ball on Utah's next possession and 6-5 Lisa Leslie won the tap to Mabika, who made one free throw for the final margin.

Leslie scored 26 points and Mabika added 25 as Los Angeles won its second straight after dropping two in a row. The Sparks moved one game ahead of second-place Houston in the Western Conference and host the Comets in their next game Thursday.

Utah, which missed a chance to clinch a playoff spot, trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half but came alive in the second half. Marie Ferdinand's basket with 12:47 remaining capped a 14-2 run that opened a 63-60 lead.

Ferdinand gave the Starzz their largest lead of the second half with a basket for a 78-72 cushion with six minutes to play. The Sparks came back and Leslie scored the final five points at the line of a 10-2 run for an 87-83 lead with 49 seconds to go.

Ferdinand scored 25 points and Semeka Randall came off the bench for 16 for Utah. The Starzz fell to 1-10 all-time at Los Angeles.