Ogwumike, Sparks Beat Liberty 77-67, Extend Win Streak


LOS ANGELES (AP) Nneka Ogwumike had 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 77-67 win over the New York Liberty on Sunday.

Kristi Tolliver and Candace Parker scored 15 points apiece for the Sparks (16-1), who have won five in a row.

A jumper by Tina Charles put the Liberty (12-6) up by three midway through the third quarter, but Los Angeles responded with an 18-4 run that made it 63-54 lead with 7:52 remaining and the Sparks led the rest of the way.

New York, ranked third in the AP WNBA power poll, shot just 38 percent (29 of 76) from the field and was held to its lowest scoring output of the season.

Tina Charles had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Liberty. Sugar Rodgers added 14 points, including four 3-pointers.

The top-ranked Sparks made 30 of 57 (52.6 percent) field-goal attempts and are off to the second-best start in WNBA history trailing only Houston. The Comets started the season 20-1 in 1998.

Jantel Lavender played in her franchise-record 155th consecutive game for Los Angeles, moving past DeLisha Milton-Jones.