The Los Angeles Sparks came up short in a road matchup against the New York Liberty Thursday night, falling 89-79 at Barclays Center. The competitive contest featured 11 lead changes and eight ties.

Forward Dearica Hamby led all scorers with 25 points, matching her season high with 10 made field goals. The frontcourt veteran added nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in another all-around effort.

Guard Julie Allemand returned to the lineup after a seven-game absence due to EuroBasket competition, where she helped lead Belgium to its second consecutive title. Allemand scored a season-high 10 points and added three assists and two rebounds while logging a game-high 37 minutes. Fellow Belgian guard Julie Vanloo, also part of the championship-winning squad, made her Sparks debut entering the game at the 8:14 mark of the second quarter. 

Guard Kelsey Plum recorded a season-high seven rebounds and dished a game-high eight assists. The eighth-year guard also converted 9 of 10 free throws to lead all players from the line.

Forward-center Azurá Stevens added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Stevens matched her season highs with four assists and four blocks.

Guard-forward Rae Burrell returned from a 16-game injury absence and contributed five points and two rebounds. Burrell checked into the game with 1:50 left in the first quarter to earn her first minutes of action since the Sparks’ season opener on May 16. 

Los Angeles shot 48.2% in the game, outscored New York 40-34 in the paint and assisted on all 14 of its made field goals in the second half.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On continuing to grow from losses:

“With change, it takes a minute to adapt…We played Chicago. They beat us. We did not play well, and we did not play collectively. We did not have that look in our eye, and tonight we did. So, I want to build on that. I don't ever want to be in the business of moral victories, but… you do have to keep perspective as to where our franchise is versus where New York’s is. It’s just… different. They returned everybody… and we’re building. So, just maintain perspective, stay positive, and build on successes, even if you don't come out with the outcome you want.”

Julie Allemand

On her first game back since playing in EuroBasket overseas:

“It's not easy to come back, especially on the court to remember all the plays and everything. I know it's still not enough, and it sucks to lose for sure, especially when you feel like you have the game in your hands. But, the third quarter killed us, and I hope we're gonna learn from it… Coach is happy, but it's still hard when you lose because I really think that with this group, we can do a lot. We really can do a lot… We all said we [are] all healthy now… Julie [Vanloo]’s gonna get her rhythm, she's gonna [get to] know her teammates, everything and I think it's going to be a plus to have everybody… It’s exciting because we are almost there, and we [are] still missing some pieces. When everything’s going to be together, it's going to be great.”

Azurá Stevens

On continuing to go through adversity :

“I think that just shows our growth. When teams [punched] us in the past, we've… let the game slip away, but I'm proud of the way that we fought back and we were right back in the game. We got their punch and then we punched them back. Like Coach said, we [had] really good looks in the third, and some of them just didn't fall… I think our defense [was] really great tonight and we had a little bit of lulls, so I think that's kind of what contributed to the loss, but I think we withstood the runs pretty well.”

What’s Next?: The Sparks close their road trip against the Fever July 5 (7 p.m. ET) in Indianapolis, then returning home to host the Minnesota Lynx July 10 (12 p.m. PT).