In a tight battle against the Storm that featured eight ties in the second half, Dearica Hamby’s and-one with five seconds left clinched a 94-91 home victory for the Sparks. The veteran scored seven points in the final 1:25 of the game, with each basket tying the game or giving Los Angeles the lead.

The Sparks excelled on offense, shooting 53.1% (34-of-64) from the field, 51.9% (14-of-27) from beyond the arc and 92.3% (12-of-13) from the free-throw line to overcome an early 16-point deficit.

Kelsey Plum led the offense with 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The performance marked her 18th game with 20+ points this season, tying Nneka Ogwumike (2016 & 2023) for the second-most in franchise history, behind only Ogwumike’s 19 in 2017.

Azurá Stevens tied Jonquel Jones’ 2024 record for the most three-pointers made in a single season (59) by a player 6-foot-6 or taller, reaching the milestone in eight fewer games. Stevens added 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep, while leading the team with eight rebounds.

Hamby finished with 19 points (8-for-13 FG), seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists. The Wake Forest alumna tied Rae Burrell for a game-best +13 rating.

Cameron Brink notched a season-high 14 points in just 11 minutes and matched her season highs in rebounds (five) and steals (two). Belgian guards Julie Allemand and Julie Vanloo each tied their career highs with three steals. Allemand’s final steal came in the closing seconds, breaking up the Storm’s last possession and sealing the Sparks’ win. 

The Sparks’ 14 made three-pointers marked a season high, while the bench matched its season high with 26 points on 60.0% from the floor and 71.4% (5-for-7) from three-point range.

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

Head Coach Lynne Roberts

On the Sparks learning to win difficult games:

“I think we’re learning [and] not flinching, I think it took us a quarter to get the legs out from the game last night and the travel. You climb in bed at midnight, then you get up, and you gotta re-attack. It's emotionally hard and these guys chose to get up and re-attack. That's learning how to win, but not getting phased. They were up, 87-80, and [Azurá Stevens] hit a layup, then we called her number for the three and she knocked it down. Suddenly, the crowd's back and that's just learning how to win. The worst thing you can do is fear losing. The worst thing that can happen is [taking a loss], but you don't want to think about losing, you want to think about just winning the next play and staying in attack mode. Dearica [Hamby] made a play, they blew up the play that we were trying to run for Rickea [Jackson], and D just made a great [play] and then hit her free throws. She was huge. Huge plays. Julie [Allemand’s] steal at the end. I mean, everybody contributed. Just like she said, it was a total team win. That's what learning how to win looks like.”

Kelsey Plum

On Julie Allemand’s playmaking:

“Part of [my] contributions [is] being able to pass more, and that opens up that part of your game. It has grown so much, even over this last stretch of just seeing them win and seeing your teammates step up.  I think the biggest story that no one's talking about is Julie [Allemand]. There's a big difference between Julie going to Eurobasket and then Julie (being) back, right? She runs pick-and-roll, her pace is unbelievable, she reads things super well. Julie doesn't get a lot of credit for her defense, her intensity, her competitiveness. She makes big plays. If you look back at our wins, especially down the stretch, Julie's making big plays, right? And so, I have a ton of faith in everyone, but especially when the person that's handling from the top is poised and centered. That brings everyone calmness. So that last play, like Coach said, it [blew] up, Julie just comes off the screen, hits [Dearica Hamby] for a pocket pass. That's a major luxury.”

Julie Allemand 

On the last seconds of the game:

“We're happy, we're playing for that kind of game, you know? It's exciting to play that kind of game, and at the end when you make the shot that we need, it's a great feeling as a team. It's everybody. When we play like that, we have so much fun, and it was tough for us at the beginning of the game, but then we came back. With the bench, we came back. When it's a team win, the feeling is so different, and it's just amazing to win like that.”