Silver Stars-Sparks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jul 18 2011 2:17AM

A record collapse has the Los Angeles Sparks looking to generate some momentum at the expense of the San Antonio Silver Stars for the second consecutive week.

The Silver Stars, meanwhile, are trying to re-establish their dominance on the road.

The Sparks will attempt to bounce back from a demoralizing defeat and get back to .500 when they host San Antonio on Monday night.

Los Angeles (6-7) appeared to be cruising to its third straight win Sunday, but wasted a 24-point lead in the second half and fell 89-85 in overtime to Washington, the last-place team in the Eastern Conference. The Sparks' sizable advantage was the largest ever squandered after halftime in the WNBA.

"The second half, we started playing slower and they were really aggressive," guard Kristi Toliver said. "It's extremely disappointing for us to just give the game away."

The epic collapse was also the team's first loss since Joe Bryant was promoted from assistant to head coach after the team fired Jennifer Gillom on July 10.

Bryant's first victory in his second stint at the helm came against the Silver Stars (8-4) on Tuesday, as Los Angeles got 49 points from the bench to win 84-74.

The Sparks, 4-1 at home, are 2-4 since Candace Parker was lost for six weeks to a torn meniscus in a defeat at New York on June 26, leaving them without their top scorer (17.7 points per game) and rebounder (9.9).

Toliver is trying to pick up the scoring slack, totaling 46 points and 13 assists over the last two games after being held to five points on 2-of-8 shooting against San Antonio.

The Silver Stars' 4-1 road record is the best in the league, but they dropped their most recent contest as the visitor 81-75 at New York on July 1.

That began a three-game losing streak, but San Antonio snapped the skid by beating Seattle 69-66 on Thursday, as rookie Danielle Adams scored 15 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter.

"I was just in the groove, and I was feeling it," Adams said. "I had a whole bunch of open shots and I decided to just take over."

Adams' 16.4 points per game lead all rookies and rank sixth overall in the league.

The forward-center had 16 points while going 3 of 10 from 3-point range in the latest meeting with the Sparks.

While Adams is thriving, Becky Hammon has totaled 10 points on 4-of-24 shooting over the past two games, although she does have 16 assists. She had 22 points and nine assists against the Sparks in a 90-80 win on June 24.

The Silver Stars and Sparks have split the last four meetings at Staples Center. San Antonio took the most recent matchup there 92-83 on Aug. 8.

Hammon leads Silver Stars over Sparks

Posted Jul 19 2011 1:42AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Becky Hammon scored 26 points to lead the San Antonio Silver Stars to a 79-69 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday night.

Sophia Young had 18 points and 10 rebounds while Jia Perkins added 14 points as the Silver Stars improved to a league-best 5-1 on the road.

San Antonio (9-4) let a 15-point, first-quarter lead dwindle to one in the fourth before holding on to win their second straight following three consecutive losses.

Jantel Lavender and Natasha Lacy scored 14 points each for the Sparks (6-8), while Jenna O'Hea finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

After Lacy's runner in the lane got the Sparks within 61-60, Perkins hit a jumper and Young had a jumper and a steal that led to a layup to put the Silver Stars ahead 67-61 with 6:13 remaining.

The Sparks lost their second straight at home after opening the season 4-0 at Staples Center. They blew a 24-point lead early in the third quarter during Sunday's 89-85 overtime loss to Washington. It was the second-largest comeback in WNBA history.

``You never want to lose at home, you always want to protect your home court,'' Lacy said. ``We have to get more victories wherever we play.''

Hammon broke out of a mini-slump by hitting 8 of 15 from the field including going 4 of 8 from 3-point range. She leads San Antonio in scoring with a 16.3 average but had just 10 points on 4-of-24 shooting in her last two outings.

Hammon is hoping to be named an All-Star for the seventh time when the league announces reserves Tuesday for the July 23 game at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

``It would be great,'' Hammon said. ``I know we are going to have a great crowd, our city and fans are really excited about it. To be a part of it, obviously, is a huge honor.''

Los Angeles starters combined for only 15 points, with new coach Joe Bryant giving heavy minutes to the reserves as he continues to mix-and-match his rotations. Tina Thompson, the WNBA's career scoring leader with 6,546 points, was held without a point for the first time in 413 regular-season games.

``Not that I know of,'' Thompson said. ``And I don't think I ever played less than five minutes either.''

After Ebony Hoffman scored the game's first basket for the Sparks' lone lead, the Silver Stars followed with 15 straight points. Hammon hit a 3-pointer and a layup in the run for the 15-2 lead midway through the quarter.

The Sparks, who missed 10 of their first 11 shots, snapped a 4:47 scoring drought on Ebony Hoffman's free throw. Trailing by 10 points at halftime, they trimmed the deficit to 45-41 when O'Hea buried a 3-pointer from the corner.

Another 3-pointer from O'Hea capped a 10-3 run to close the quarter as Los Angeles made it 57-55 heading into the fourth.

• Silver Stars: --
• Sparks: --

• Silver Stars: --
• Sparks: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #43 Brenda Pantoja, #13 Cameron Inouye
• Attendance: 8818
• Duration: 1:58