PHOENIX – The Los Angeles Sparks used a dominant defensive performance and strong 3-point shooting to pull away from the Phoenix Mercury, winning 85-68 on the road. Nneka Ogwumike scored the first points of the game off an assist from Sydney Wiese, who was starting her first regular season game in her hometown of Phoenix. Both teams struggled early to get in a flow offensively, as two Tierra Ruffin-Pratt free throws made it 6-6 halfway through the first quarter. Three straight Chelsea Gray 3-pointers put the Sparks up 17-13 as Gray would catch fire and add another triple, her fourth in the opening period. But the Mercury ended the quarter on a 7-3 run and the game was tied at 20-20 after the first quarter.

Brittney Griner took charge early in the second quarter, getting into double-figures and giving the Mercury a 27-22 lead, but Riquna Williams responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Sparks a 28-27 lead and force a Phoenix timeout. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the rest of the second quarter, and the Sparks took a 38-36 lead into the intermission.

The Sparks started the third quarter with the first four points before a DeWanna Bonner 3-pointer cut the lead to 42-39 Sparks. A Chelsea Gray no look pass to Chiney Ogwumike put the Sparks up 46-39 and forced a Phoenix timeout. Gray followed with a three-point play to give the Sparks their largest lead of the game, 49-39. A Griner dunk forced a Sparks timeout with the score 49-43, but the Sparks responded with a 7-2 run to force a Mercury timeout with the Sparks leading 56-45. A Ruffin-Pratt 3-pointer gave the Sparks a 60-47 lead as she reached double-figures for the second straight game. The Sparks took a 62-50 lead into the fourth quarter.

Back-to-back layups from Nneka put the Sparks up 68-50, their largest lead of the game early in the fourth. The Sparks continued to cruise with a dominant defensive effort, holding the Mercury to 34.7% from the field and pushing the lead to as much as 20 points. The win was the Sparks second consecutive and their fourth in five games.

Up Next: The Sparks travel home for the second leg of a back-to-back Saturday night against the New York Liberty at 7 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet.