DIXON, SPARKS GET TOUGH IN OT : SPARKS 81, SACRAMENTO 76.Byline: Pamela Lewis Long Beach Press-Telegram The Long Beach Press-Telegram is a major daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. External links
Tamecka Dixon scored six of her team-high 22 points in overtime Wednesday night, giving the Sparks their first victory over the Sacramento Monarchs The Sacramento Monarchs is a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Sacramento, California. The team is one of the WNBA's eight original franchises and was noted early on for standout players Ticha Penicheiro, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith. , 81-76, before an announced crowd of 5,774 at the Forum. Penny Toler Penny Toler (born March 24, 1966) was a Women's National Basketball Association basketball player. She is currently the general manager of the Los Angeles Sparks. College years Toler attended Long Beach State and was a All-American basketball player. and Lisa Leslie ``Not allowing them to sweep us for the season is definitely a positive, but we have to be ready for Houston on Friday night,'' said Leslie, who also had seven rebounds and six assists. The win snapped a three-game losing streak against the Monarchs, who fell to 4-11. But it didn't come easily for the Sparks, who played their first overtime game of the season. The Monarchs' Tangela Smith Tangela Nicole Smith (born April 1, 1977 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American basketball player in the WNBA currently playing for the Phoenix Mercury. Highschool years missed a layup, and Toler got the rebound and passed it down the court to Lisa Leslie, who shipped it to Mwadi Mabika Mwadi Mabika (born July 27, 1976 in Kinshasa, Zaire (present Democratic Republic of the Congo)) is a Congolese basketball player and an All-Star in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She studied biology and chemistry at the Massamba School in Kinshasa. , giving the Sparks a 75-71 edge with 2:07 to play in the extra period. Smith cut it to two with a layup with 1:42 to play, but she was later forced to foul Dixon, who made two free throws with 19.3 seconds remaining, giving the Sparks a four-point advantage. Mabika converted a pair of free throws 10 seconds later to seal the win. In regulation, Latasha Byears Latasha Nashay Byears (born August 12, 1973 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a professional women's basketball player who plays for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). scored with 17.3 seconds to go to tie the score at 73. The Sparks who have not shown they can wrap up a close game in the final seconds, stayed true to form. Ticha Penicheiro Ticha Penicheiro (full name Patrícia Nunes Penicheiro, OIH, September 18, 1974 in Figueira da Foz, Portugal) is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association. She currently plays for the Sacramento Monarchs. stole the ball from Toler, but was called for traveling, giving the ball back to Sparks. With nine-tenths of a second to go in regulation, time ran out on Leslie, who missed a 10-foot baseline shot. Earlier, Sacramento had used a 12-2 run to erase a 10-point Sparks lead. With 2:46 to play, a putback by Adia Barnes tied the score at 63 for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. In the first half, the Sparks shot 47 percent (14 of 30) to the Monarchs' 29 percent (11 of 41) to take a 35-24 halftime lead. Leslie led the charge with 13 points and blocked four shots. Byears struggled in the first half, missing eight of her 10 attempts, while Barnes was 1 of 6 from the field for Sacramento. The Sparks led by as many as 14 points three times in the first half. On one such occasion, the Monarchs trimmed their deficit to 31-21 on back-to-back baskets by Franthea Price. But Eugenia Rycraw and Dixon both scored to give the Sparks their third 14-point advantage. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Sacramento's Lady Hardmon makes a jump pass over the Sparks' Octravia Blue. John Hayes/Associated Press |
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