Rickea Jackson, Dearica Hamby leads Sparks past Wings in road win

Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and Azurá Stevens led the Sparks to a hard-fought win against the Dallas Wings.

Rickea Jackson had the best game of her rookie season, pouring in 23 points, while Dearica Hamby added 27 of her own to help lift the Sparks past the Dallas Wings on the road on Saturday afternoon, 87-81. It was just the second road win of the season for Los Angeles.

Jackson finished 8-14 from the field and 7-9 at the line while also grabbing seven rebounds and handing out two assists. The 23 points were a season-high for the rookie.

On top of the 27 points for Hamby, she also chipped in four rebounds and five assists. Azurá Stevens pitched in with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Aari McDonald had four assists with her 12 points and three steals.

The Wings jumped to an early 4-0 lead, setting a fast pace to the game. Hamby answered by completely taking over for the Sparks, scoring nine straight points. Dallas was pushing the pace and scoring with ease, while Los Angeles struggled to find other ways to score aside from Hamby.

Jackson and Stevens began to pick up some of the offensive slack. Stevens's 3-pointer and then a steal that led to a layup helped the Sparks take the lead by four at the end of the first.

The Wings had gone six straight shots without scoring before the layup they made to start the second quarter. LA had taken complete control of the game and leaped ahead by eight.

The Sparks defended the Wings well, which made them struggle to keep the ball in their hands. Dallas took a while to find its footing but pieced together enough scoring to cut the deficit to five.

Stevens was a perfect 2-2 from behind the arc for LA. The Wings then cut the deficit to two with 3-point shooting. Kalani Brown was fouled and made one of her free throws, then scored again to make it a one-point game. The Sparks scored four straight points to retake the lead after Dallas had jumped ahead.

Los Angeles held onto the lead by one into halftime.

The Sparks shot the lights out well into the third, knocking down the 3-pointers that weren’t falling in the first half. They extended their lead to 11, their largest of the game. Things began to get feisty and the Wings were visibly frustrated with foul calls.

Players were diving to the ground for loose balls and the momentum was beginning to swing in Dallas’ favor, even with the Sparks ahead by seven. Both Hamby and Jackson picked up their fourth fouls.

A 9-2 run brought the Wings to within four with 2:27 left in the quarter. Both teams traded baskets, but Dallas eventually moved ahead 63-61.

The Wings opened the final frame by scoring five points and going up five. Jackson completed an and-one, bringing the Sparks to within two. Stevens’ sharp shooting from behind the arc tied the game. She made all four of her attempts on the day.

A mini Jackson run of four points propelled LA to a three-point lead. The momentum shifted in the Sparks’ favor and the Wings were falling apart. With a minute left in the game, a layup by Hamby made it a two-possession game.

With a five-point lead, the Sparks were in a great position to grab a desperately needed win. A single free throw from Jackson sealed the win for Los Angeles.

Key Takeaways:

The team's lack of consistent offense from other players has become one of its biggest issues, keeping it from maintaining good leads. The team needs Kia Nurse to find her groove again, especially from behind the arc.

The bench was a no-show. This team’s bench scoring has been major all season and needs consistency.

Jackson’s continued growth throughout the season has been special to watch. She looks more comfortable each game and has become one of the team's most reliable scorers, alongside Hamby.

They’ll try to bounce back on Tuesday against the Seattle Storm at 12:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.