Sparks sputter in fourth quarter, fall to Sun

LOS ANGELES — Odyssey Sims isn’t bashful and the Los Angeles Sparks want it that way.

But Sunday’s matchup, against a Connecticut Sun team that boasts three starters standing over 6-foot-2, wasn’t one in which the shortest player in the Sparks’ starting lineup would be able to get simple shots off.

Still, she needed to learn for herself. She attempted six shots in the first five minutes, making just one. Her speedy drives resulted in wayward heaves as the Sun’s shot blockers changed her release. Her struggles against the Sun’s length could have been similar for her teammates, but Rickea Jackson didn’t care for it.

Jackson knocked down mid-range jumper after jumper, appearing large on the defensive end herself as she corralled a career-high three steals. Her 23 points on 9 of 18 shooting weren’t enough to overcome the Sun’s length. Their defense suffocated the Sparks, forcing 19 turnovers. Their inside-out, methodical attack wore down the Sparks, who conceded another fourth-quarter advantage to lose 79-67.

With 6:44 remaining, Jackson spun in mid-air to score and give the Sparks a 66-64 lead before the Sun (25-10) closed the game on 15-1 run. DiJonai Carrington, who led the Sun with 21 points, scored off of Kia Nurse’s turnover, then hit a corner 3-pointer off Alissa Thomas’s offensive rebound, before cutting backdoor for a layup that increased the lead to 10.

The Sparks (7-28) were in command throughout before Carrington had the final word.

Early on, head coach Curt Miller recognized Connecticut’s advantage in the paint, seeing his point guard Sims flustered.

He subbed in center Li Yueru as a way to counter the Sun. She blocked Carrington’s layup, then put back Jackson’s missed jump shot, and with 3 seconds left in the first quarter, she stepped behind the arc to hit a 3-pointer that made cut an early Sun lead to 19-18. In her first 4 minutes on the court, Yueru recorded six rebounds.

Jackson gave the Sparks their first lead as she got into her post-up package early in the second quarter. She backed Marina Mabrey from the short corner into the restricted area, positioning herself for a simple layup. She then took on Carrington, showing her the fadeaway jumper. The next victim was DeWanna Bonner, who reached in and fouled Jackson on her rip-through.

After Jackson’s surge, the Sparks led 27-22. The Sun cut the lead to one before the Sparks opened it back up to seven. Nurse hit a buzzer-beater 3 to give the Sparks a 45-39 lead at halftime.

The Sun turned up the defense in the third quarter, holding the Sparks to just four points in the first six minutes. They tied the game with a layup from Carrington. Jackson hit a 3 and then drove the lane for a euro-step finish to help the Sparks retake a seven-point lead.

On the final play of the quarter, Bonner drove and drew a foul on Jackson, her free throws, making it a one possession game.

Bonner continued to impose her will in the fourth quarter, hitting a 3 that tied the game at 64, but Jackson answered with that masterful 10-footer.

It was her final statement, as the Sun held the Sparks scoreless through the final three and half minutes.