Sparks drop final home game of season against Mercury

A second-half collapse gave the Los Angeles Sparks their 32nd loss of the season against the Phoenix Mercury Tuesday night.

The Los Angeles Sparks collapsed in the second half after an eight-point halftime lead to lose 85-81 to the Phoenix Mercury Tuesday night.

Dearica Hamby scored 21 points with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Rickea Jackson was unfortunately ejected at halftime after a scuffle with Brittney Griner. Jackson ended the game with eight points and three rebounds.

Li Yueru and Zia Cooke were major contributors off the bench. Yueru ended with a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds. Cooke pitched in with nine points, going three for four from behind the arc.

After both teams missed their first shots, they knocked down layups for an early tie. Los Angeles' offense was shaky, but they created great looks. Griner was on fire for Phoenix early, making all three of her shot attempts.

The Mercury jumped ahead by two midway through the quarter. Neither team could establish any good offensive momentum, but Phoenix's defense was effective, forcing Los Angeles to shoot 21.7% from the field during the opening frame.

At the end of the first, it was a tied game.

The second quarter started strong for the young Sparks. Their shots were falling and the momentum was shifting in their favor. Yueru was again a major force off the bench with seven early points. L.A. lept ahead to lead by six.

The Sparks were able to extend their lead to eight. Crystal Dangerfield was playing at a high level for L.A. with four assists. Griner was the first player to score in double digits for the night. Phoenix cut the deficit to six off another layup by Griner.

Cooke took advantage of her playing time by knocking down three big 3-pointers. Before the end of the half, the scuffle between Jackson and Griner occurred and both players were ejected.

The Sparks were up 44-36 at halftime.

The Mercury started the second half on a 6-0 run. Natasha Cloud then converted on an and-1 which made it a one-point game. A layup by Hamby on an assist from Cooke stopped the bleeding for a moment. A 3-pointer by Diana Taurasi made it a tie game.

Phoenix had gone up by two, but Yueru’s layup made it a tie again. Although both teams were exchanging baskets and constantly tying the game up, the Mercury had a little extra energy in them.

The Mercury burned the Sparks with a collective 24-6 run to grab a lead of 12 with a minute left. At the end of the third, Phoenix was up double figures.

The final frame began with the Mercury scoring and the Sparks struggling to battle through Phoneix’s strong defense. Los Angeles’ hopes for a last home court win of the season were fading away as the Mercury took complete charge.

The young Sparks team kept battling through their issues and got to within five. The Mercury struck back with five straight points to stop L.A.’s fake comeback momentum. The Sparks attempted one more comeback, making it a five-point game again, but it was not enough.

Key Takeaways:

The Sparks' bad habits of turnovers, not keeping the lead and lack of consistent offense caught up with them like clockwork. Those were three of the biggest issues they faced all season long and they continued to struggle to fix them.

It was nice to see Cooke get some minutes and show what she can do. Many teams, including the Sparks, could use her firepower offense next season.

The Sparks’ final game of the season will be against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday at 5:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.