Another Dearica Hamby double-double propels Sparks to 81-72 victory over Wings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dearica Hamby finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks pull away for an 81-72 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday night, snapping a three-game skid.
Hamby has eight double-doubles in 10 games this season for the Sparks (3-7). She made 9 of 16 shots from the floor, 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, and added four assists.
Lexie Brown pitched in with 16 points — sinking 4 of 8 from 3-point range — and six assists for the Sparks. Cameron Brink had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 but hit just 10 of 28 shots for Dallas (3-6), which has lost four in a row. Maddy Siegrist made 9 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers, scoring 21. Monique Billings grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points.
Brown hit two 3-pointers and scored eight to lead Los Angeles to a 23-20 lead after one quarter.
Siegrist scored 15 on 7-for-9 shooting with a 3-pointer and Ogunbowale added 14 points to lead Dallas to a 44-38 advantage at halftime. The Sparks’ reserves outscored their counterparts 24-0 in the first 20 minutes.
LA pulled within two points six times in the third quarter before Rickea Jackson had back-to-back baskets to even the score at 56 with 2:37 remaining. Sevgi Uzun sank a pullup 16-footer in the closing seconds and the Wings took a 63-61 lead into the final period.
Brown buried a 3-pointer with 7:42 left to play to put LA up 68-67. It was the Sparks’ first lead since the 6:43 mark of the second quarter. The Sparks pushed their lead to seven, but the Wings battled back within 75-72 on a basket by Ogunbowale with 1:35 remaining. Brink and Brown answered with back-to-back baskets to help LA hold on.
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