LOS ANGELES — On the day she was named a WNBA All-Star starter for the second consecutive season, Nneka Ogwumike had a season-high 27 points,12 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals, and two blocks, and the Sparks rallied from down 11 points late in the third quarter to beat the Dallas Wings, 93-83, on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
“I would say we’ve struggled with this all season, or the opposite of having big leads and then kind of blowing them, so I think it shows that we can fight through adversity mid-game and during games and be on the other end of things and still come out with a win,” said Sparks forward Dearica Hamby.
Karlie Samuelson and Dearica Hamby, who both finished in double figures, spoke about Nneka Ogwumike being named a WNBA All-Star Starter and the Sparks 93-83 comeback win at home against the Dallas Wings Sunday. #WNBA #WNBAALLSTAR #LASparks #WNBATwitter pic.twitter.com/d5JbpZglfm
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 25, 2023
Ogwumike, an eight-time All-Star, recorded her seventh double-double in the 13 games she has played this season.
“I want to shout out, again, Nneka’s play,” said Sparks head coach Curt Miller. “Obviously, on the heels of her being named a starter for the All-Star Game, she came out and had a monster game for us. I reiterate her stats are better than her (2016) MVP year early in the season.
“What she’s going leading us, on and off the court, is fantastic.”
The Sparks finished with four players in double figures as forward Dearica Hamby had 17 points, Karlie Samuelson 14 points, and Jordin Canada 10 points and nine assists. Canada held Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale to 16 and 18 points in back-to-back games, several points below the All-Star starter’s season average of 22 points per game.
“No one will write enough about what Jordin Canada is doing,” Miller continued. “Defensive players of the year in this league are always going to be the shot blockers and the defensive rebounders, and they get all the votes.
“But if there’s a little guard guarding better than Jordin Canada right now, I need to see it on film, because she is asked to go guard the best guard every single night and then run our team, and it’s been really impressive what kind of defender she is and she’s had a really good series against Arike, who is one of the best players in the world.”
The Sparks improved to 7-7 and won their third consecutive game against Dallas, clinching the season series. After a three-game losing streak, the Sparks won the last two games of their five-game homestand, despite missing the productive of starting guards Lexie Brown (non-COVID illness) and Layshia Clarendon (foot injury) for the past five and seven games, respectively.
Dallas (6-8) was led by Ogunbowale, who had eight assists to go with her 18 points, while Crystal Dangerfield had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Teaira McCowan finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Natasha Howard had 13 points.
After being down by seven points early in the game, the Sparks seized control with a 13-0 run in the final 2:26 in the first quarter and took a 26-18 lead into the second.
With Hamby’s free throw, the Sparks extended their lead to 12 points, 33-21, with 7:52 left in the second quarter. However, Dallas found success playing two 6-foot-7 post players Kalani Brown and McCowan in the game at the same time. Dallas went on a 10-0 run to pull with 33-31, and later tied the game at 36 on a layup by Ogunbowale with 3:56 to go before halftime.
A corner three by forward Karlie Samuelson gave the Sparks a 39-36 advantage with 3:47 to go in the first half. The Wings took their first lead of the second quarter, 42-41 on a putback by McCowan with 1:48 to go.
Ogwumike found herself in a one-on-one isolation situation and pulled off a nifty up-and-under move to tie the game at 44 with less than five seconds to go before halftime.
After a back-and-forth start to the second, an and-one and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions by Dallas point guard Crystal Dangerfield extended the Wings’ lead to 67-57 with 2:59 left in the third quarter. Ogunbowale went 2 of 2 from the free throw and the Sparks trailed 71-60 with 1:56 left in the third.
A 12-2 run over the next two minutes, capped by an and-one by Ogwumike, pulled the Sparks to within two, 71-69 with 48.3 seconds left in the third quarter. The Sparks trailed 73-71 heading into the fourth.
“Everybody will talk about the fourth quarter, but the end of the third quarter set us up to get this victory,” Miller said. “We made a couple of big threes, all of sudden it went from 11 to five, made some big plays and momentum swung late in that third quarter, gave us the momentum going into the fourth quarter and then it was anyone’s game.
“Without a couple of those big threes, without a couple of those baskets there, basketball is such a fine line between winning and losing. That 11 could have gone to 17 just as easy, and the game would have been over, but we made some big plays and all of a sudden it’s under a two-possession game and we got the momentum going into the fourth.”
I asked LA Sparks coach Curt Miller how his team overcame an 11-point deficit late in the 3rd Q, and ultimately pull off a 93-83 win at home vs. Dallas Wings. @CurtMillerWBB told me there’s such a fine line between winning and losing and credited his team for making big plays. pic.twitter.com/OBXp8EBTm8
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 25, 2023
Destanni Henderson, who finished with nine points off the bench, knocked down a baseline jumper and gave the Sparks their first lead of the fourth quarter, 76-75, with 6:19 left.
From that point, the Sparks closed the game on a 17-8 run to win the game.
Before tipoff, Ogwumike explained how it felt to be named a WNBA All-Starter for the second consecutive season.
“I definitely feel blessed to be still playing this deep into my career and also feeling the way that I’m feeling to put up numbers that helped me become an All-Star and ultimately a starter,” said Ogwumike, 32. “I was already grateful to be named an All-Star the first time it happened.
“I don’t really do it for these things, but it’s teammates that put me in those positions to help me be my best for them, and that also makes things a lot easier for me. I just want to win. I want to do good for my teammates. That’s really what it’s all about, but I’m very grateful to be this deep into my career and still productive.”
Nneka Ogwumike on being named and All-Star Starter for the second consecutive season and wanting to play alongside Aliyah Boston in the 2023 All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Ogwumike also shouted out South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley for preparing all her players for the WNBA. pic.twitter.com/AE9Tpurnks
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 25, 2023
Meanwhile, coach Miller was also excited to share his initial reaction before the game to Ogwumike being named a WNBA All-Star for the eighth time. Miller believes Ogwumike is in the midst of what will possibly go down as the best year in her 12-year WNBA career.
“Huge news when we found out over the weekend and so happy for her, and she’ll be the first to say she doesn’t play on the court by herself and it’s a credit to the team, but a third into this WNBA season, arguably the best start to a season in her career, and I’m glad that voters recognized what she’s doing and how she’s the leader of our team, both on and off the court,” Miller said.
LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller on Nneka Ogwumike being named a WNBA All-Star and the importance of trying to win the season series on Sunday against a talented Dallas Wings team. pic.twitter.com/gY8aRkXUBX
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 25, 2023
This week was also a homecoming for Dallas Wings head coach Latricia Trammell, who was a Sparks assistant coach for the past four seasons.
“It’s always good coming back,” Tramell said. “You get to see a lot of people that you built relationships with. I had a great experience here in L.A., and I’m just honored and pleased to be the head coach of the Dallas Wings and coming back and reconnecting with a lot of great people.”
Dallas Wings head coach Latricia Trammell on Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally being named WNBA All-Star Starters. @TrammellCoach also talks about being back in LA and support Natasha Howard’s fiancée on Basketball Wives. #WNBATwitter #WNBA pic.twitter.com/Ehgw8hoX9T
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 25, 2023