PASADENA, Calif. – The Los Angeles Sparks hosted the Seattle Storm at Pasadena City College’s Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium for their final preseason game of 2019. The Sparks dispatched the Storm 92-85 on the heels of a dominant third quarter. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 18 points and seven rebounds. Jordin Canada scored 18 points and notched seven assists for the Storm.

Nneka Ogwumike won the tip and Alexis Jones secured the ball, but the Sparks came up short on their first trip to the basket. The Storm’s Crystal Langhorne hit a 20-foot jumper on the following possession for the first points of the game. Sydney Wiese then followed with a jump shot of her own to put Los Angeles on the board. The Sparks’ defensive pressure forced eight turnovers in the first quarter, including two early back-to-back steals by Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and Nneka Ogwumike to set the tone, but Seattle took an early lead.

Ashley Walker, who led the Sparks in scoring during their first preseason matchup, checked in with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter and chipped in six quick points to narrow the deficit. The Sparks then retook the lead on a Maria Vadeeva two-pointer with four seconds left to give Los Angeles a 19-18 edge.

Karlie Samuelson opened scoring in the second quarter with a two-point jump shot, but Seattle quickly countered with a layup by Mercedes Russell. The back-and-forth affair continued for the opening minutes of play, with Los Angeles maintaining the lead until the seven minute mark. A steal by Russell led to a Presley Hudson three-pointer that evened the score at 29. Russell then sank two free throws on the Storm’s next possession to take a 31-29 lead that Seattle would not relinquish for the rest of the half. The teams entered the break with Los Angeles down five, trailing 49-44.

The Sparks opened the third quarter on a six-point run by the Ogwumike sisters to retake the lead. Chiney Ogwumike made two free throws, followed by a Nneka Ogwumike steal and layup to give the Sparks a one-point advantage. Nneka Ogwumike’s dominance continued throughout the quarter, leading all players with ten points, and propelled Los Angeles to a 73-59 lead into the fourth. Vadeeva and Weise also chipped in five points each in the quarter’s comeback effort.

The Sparks extended the lead to a comfortable 20-point advantage within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Seattle cut the deficit to ten with just over three minutes remaining, but Los Angeles’ defensive pressure kept the Storm at bay for the remainder of the quarter. The Sparks forced 21 turnovers in the winning effort.