LOS ANGELES, June 9 (Ticker) -- Temeka Johnson and the Los Angeles
Sparks used a big fourth quarter to cover up for a miserable
third.
Johnson scored five of her nine points in the fourth and Lisa Leslie finished with 19 as the Sparks used a late push to claim
a 73-65 victory over the expansion Chicago Sky.
It was the second win over the Sky this season for the Sparks,
who won their second home game after starting the campaign with
a six-game road trip.
Some of the fatigue from the trek appeared to hit Los Angeles in
the third as it mustered just nine points to have its lead cut
to 52-49 entering the final period. Johnson helped rebuild that
cushion by completing a three-point play and later assisting on
a layup by Tamara Moore for a 59-53 lead with 7:24 to go.
Murriel Page scored six straight points and Leslie, Chamique Holdsclaw and Johnson each added a layup to make it 71-55 with
just over a minute remaining.
Johnson finished with seven assists and Leslie grabbed 11
rebounds and blocked four shots.
Appearing in just her second game, Holdsclaw scored 15 points
off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting.
Jia Perkins scored 19 points and rookie Candice Dupree chipped
in 16 for Chicago (1-7), which shot 40 percent (29-of-73) its
seventh straight game.





