EVERETT, Wash. –The Los Angeles Sparks fell 84-62 on the road in a physical matchup against the shorthanded Seattle Storm, dropping their third consecutive game. Alana Beard returned to the court for the first time since the season opener, having sat out the seven previous games due to injury. Beard posted eight points in her return. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with ten points and five rebounds, while Jewell Lloyd scored 23 points for the Storm.

Ogwumike freed herself off a hard cross-screen for an open layup, assisted by Candace Parker, to notch the game’s first points. Ogwumike returned the favor several possessions later as she found Parker on a mismatch in the post, and Los Angeles took an early 10-3 lead. The Storm remained afloat during the Sparks run on the back of Jewell Loyd, who sank all three of her 3-point attempts for Seattle’s first nine points of the game. No other Storm player would score until Natasha Howard hit a driving layup with just under four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The layup ignited Seattle, and the Storm pushed to a 22-17 lead by the end of the quarter. Howard and Lloyd combined for 19 of Seattle’s points.

The Sparks’ offensive woes continued into the second quarter as the Storm continued to heat up. Sami Whitcomb, Howard and Loyd each chipped in a three-pointer in the first three minutes of play to set Seattle’s season high for three-pointers made. The Sparks countered with timely 3-pointers of their own from Sydney Weise, Riquna Williams, and Chelsea Gray throughout the quarter to keep Los Angeles within striking distance, but Seattle held a 12 point lead at halftime. Loyd and Howard led all scorers in the first half with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Los Angeles posted a strong defense to start the third quarter, allowing just eight Seattle points in the first five minutes of play, but failed to capitalize on the offensive end. Seattle soon found a crack in the pesky Sparks pressure, and a fastbreak layup by Howard with three minutes left in the quarter capped a 14-4 Seattle run for the largest lead of the game.

The fourth quarter opened with Seattle holding a 20-point advantage over the Sparks. Los Angeles began play on a 5-0 run, but a Lloyd three-pointer and driving layup by Crystal Langhorne on back-to-back possessions pushed the Seattle lead back to 20. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored eight points in the ensuing four minutes to ensure that Los Angeles would get no closer. The Sparks shot just 28.6% from three in the contest, compared to Seattle’s scorching 53.8% from beyond the arc.