This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Dearica Hamby scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and two of Stephanie Talbot’s nine assists set up critical baskets down the stretch of overtime as the host Los Angeles Sparks snapped an eight-game skid with their 98-93 defeat of the Las Vegas Aces on Friday.
The Sparks (5-15) overcame 35 points and 12 rebounds from A’ja Wilson, as well as a furious fourth-quarter rally from the Aces, thanks to a balanced offensive effort.
Hamby paced four Los Angeles double-digit scorers and secured her 13th double-double of the season. Aari McDonald added 23 points and her 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range led the Sparks on an 11-of-31 night from beyond the arc as a team.
Rickea Jackson went 3-of-8 from deep en route to 14 points, and her rebound of Hamby’s missed free-throw attempt in the closing seconds helped the Sparks preserve their first win since beating Las Vegas on June 9.
The Aces (12-7) were 7-1 since that loss, including wins in their previous six. With their 98-77 blowout over the Washington Mystics on Thursday, all six of those wins were by double-digit margins.
Against Los Angeles, however, Las Vegas had to battle back from a double-digit deficit that spanned much of the second half.
A 14-3 run over the final four minutes before halftime gave Los Angeles a 10-point lead at intermission. A 13-2 run by the Aces in the fourth quarter gave Las Vegas a lead midway through the period, leading to a back-and-forth finish to regulation.
Wilson scored 22 points after halftime, including a go-ahead basket with 15.2 seconds remaining in the fourth. Talbot’s floater with 3.8 seconds to go forced overtime.
In the extra frame, Talbot found Layshia Clarendon to break a 90-90 tie. Talbot’s dish to Hamby for an and-one gave the Sparks a 95-90 lead with 24.1 seconds left.
Talbot finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Jackson grabbed six rebounds. Kelsey Plum shot 4-of-7 from 3-point range and scored 21 points for Las Vegas, while Jackie Young added 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
–Field Level Media
