Los Angeles 70, Washington 59

WASHINGTON, May 31 (AP) -- Candace Parker had 15 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double in four games as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Washington Mystics 70-59 Saturday.

The Sparks (3-1) led by as many as 16 in the third quarter but fell behind by a point on Nakia Sanford's putback with just over 6 minutes left in the game. However, Los Angeles closed with an 18-6 run to extend its strong start while opening the season on a five-game road trip.

Lisa Leslie scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for the Sparks. DeLisha Milton-Jones, playing for the first time in Washington since being dealt for Taj McWilliams-Franklin on April 22, added 12.

Monique Currie scored 15 points for the Mystics (2-3), who shot a season-low 31.9 percent, mainly caused by a horrendous first half. They went through a 13-minute span in which they shot 1-for-17 while the Sparks went on a 17-4 run en route to a 37-22 halftime lead.

McWilliams-Franklin scored 14 and Sanford had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Mystics, whose two-game winning streak ended.

Earlier in the day, Parker and Leslie were among nine players announced for the U.S. women's team that will compete in the Beijing Olympics. Three more players will be selected at a later date.