SPARKS NOTES:

– The Sparks shot 25-34 in the first half, good for 73.5%

– The Sparks are now 12-2 in games in which Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike both play

– Jantel Lavender recorded a season-high 17 points, leading all scores

– Chelsea Gray recorded her 100th career steal

– The Sparks forced 21 turnovers – Five Sparks players scored in double figures (Lavender, Gray, Parker, Ogwumike, Sims)

– Los Angeles shot 44.4% from the three-point line (8-18)

Wings NOTES:

– Tamera Young led the Aces with 16 points and eight assists

– A’ja Wilson was held to just 10 points and four boards

– Aces committed 21 turnovers, their worst number of the year

– Las Vegas never led in the game

– The Aces had just four offensive rebounds and zero second chance points

– Las Vegas shot an even 50% on the night (28-56)
Quotes:

Sparks Forward Nneka Ogwumike

(On returning from injury and contributing to the win) “It felt good. We did a really good job of adjusting. They’re a talented and young team. They have a lot of talent and we did a good job of controlling that today.”

(On improvements from Friday’s loss against the Aces) “We helped on defense a lot better and we moved the ball. Our spacing on offense has been questionable, so I think we did a much better job of spacing and creating better shots in space for people.”

(On keys to great defensive night) “It starts with the ball. [Odyssey Sims, Riquna Williams, and Alana Beard] do a really great job of slowing the ball down to get us back on defense. I think we did a poor job of transition defense last game, so starting with the ball we were able to get our hands on a lot of deflections.”

Sparks Center Jantel Lavender

(On A’Ja Wilson’s foul trouble) “She’s their first option, so if they don’t have her on the floor, their offense doesn’t move as smoothly. She’s been playing great for them obviously, and she played great in Vegas. But we wanted to make her touches tough, not let her get easy touches on the elbow because that’s where she kind of operates more. It worked for us because her being out of the game made them have to go to different options.”

(On her season-high 17 points and how to build on the performance) “Just staying aggressive. Cutting the rim, finding my areas within the offense and just shooting my shot. Not second guessing or pump-faking through it. Just having that confidence knowing that I can hit those shots.”

Sparks Coach Brian Agler

(On today’s game preparation) “We flew back in yesterday so we watched film, had a meeting, did walk-through, and watched more film. That’s all you can do. We have to have more of a telescope perspective, so we try to say save as much fuel as possible prior.”

(On Nneka Ogwumike’s return) “We found out this morning she would be playing and her energy and competitiveness really helps out. She’s a great communicator. She’ll communicate on the floor if she’s playing and communicate when she’s on the bench. Always really positive when it comes to Nneka.”

(On substituting players with so many good options) “It gives a chance to keep some of our starters rested. Odyssey [Sims] and Jantel [Lavender]had great games today and that’s huge for us. I’m hoping we will settle into a rotation and stick to that.”

(On the differences between Friday’s loss and today’s win) “We just didn’t play as well and it resonated with the players. We had a chance to regroup and study our game plays and improve.”

Aces Forward A’ja Wilson

(On impact of Nneka Ogwumike in the Sparks’ lineup) “Definitely the physicality. She’s their big bruiser in the paint. That would have to be the only difference I have seen. It wasn’t really much. Their energy was there tonight, ours wasn’t. We just have to come back bigger and stronger the next game.”

(On learning from struggles with early foul trouble) “I probably just learned that I can’t let it carry over. I have to keep pushing through. My team needs me and it’s selfish of me to not push through if I don’t. I think the biggest thing that I learned was you can’t make the calls, you can only control the things you can control. The things I know I can control are my energy and my mentality coming into the game, so I think the biggest thing that I learned was I can’t let it frustrate me, don’t let it control me; that’s what they want. I can’t really make calls, so I have to keep pushing through.”

(On whether she made second-half adjustments playing with foul trouble) “No, because I think that’s where things get caught up, when you say ‘Oh my gosh I have three fouls. What am I going to do?’ I just have to keep pushing. My teammates really helped me push through that wall of foul trouble. They really kept saying keep going, keep attacking, keep being aggressive. You can’t let that hold you back because then nothing gets done, and that goes back to me not letting it carry over. Honestly, I just kept going and said whatever happens, happens.”

Aces Forward Tamera Young

(On impact of A’ja Wilson’s limited minutes) “It’s very different. She’s our go-to. She got in foul trouble and when you get in foul trouble early like that, it’s frustrating for a player. We stayed on her and tried to keep her spirits high, but when one player is down like that, others have to step up. That’s why, as a team, we have to collectively step up and play together, get stops, and communicate.”

(On turnover struggles) “A lot of [the turnovers] were unforced. Los Angeles is an aggressive defensive team and they brought that energy tonight. I think it kind of rattled us a little bit and made us go faster, instead of just being more controlled. A lot of those turnovers we could have controlled better if we were more relaxed when we were trying to run our offensive plays.”

Aces Coach Bill Laimbeer

(On not being able to play A’ja Wilson due to foul trouble) “Foul trouble happens throughout the course of a season, A’ja has to learn to play through that one. I thought collectively though we came out and didn’t have the energy necessary because we knew LA was going to come out and try to avenge what happened at our place, so it’s a learning experience for us. I thought in the second half we came out much harder, better defense, but unfortunately we were too far behind.”

(On committing the most turnovers in a game this season) “We weren’t ready for their pressure. I don’t know why we weren’t ready, I warned them, but we kind of fell apart. We are a young team, we are going to learn from experience hopefully. We just didn’t handle the pressure, and it’s a poise issue.”

(On giving up the highest field goal percentage in a game this season) “They made every shot in the world in the first half, also thanks to our poor defensive effort. 74% in a half, that’s pretty amazing, in the first half. In the second half, I thought we buckled down and played better.”

(On Moriah Jefferson’s first game of the year) “Rusty. Moriah’s got some rust there to kick off. You know we have some practice days coming up. That’s the first time she really played that hard. It’s going to be a work in progress for her.”