Los Angeles, Calif. – The Sparks entered today’s game with an all-time home record of 15-6 over the Mystics, but fell 81-52 on Tuesday night in Candace’s Parker’s return to the lineup. The two-time MVP missed the first seven games of the season with a hamstring injury. The Mystics, led by 22 points from Ariel Atkins, led by as much as 30 points, scoring 38 of their 81 points off of 27 Sparks turnovers. Nneka Ogwumike and Sydney Wiese led the Sparks with 12 points apiece.

Kristi Toliver and Atkins led the Mystics on a 20-3 run in the first quarter as the Mystics defense held the Sparks to just three field goals in the first quarter. Sydney Wiese recorded her first two foul shots of the season, making both and closing the gap to 15. Nearly escaping the record for fewest points scored in a quarter, Riquna Williams got the crowd on their feet with a foul-line jumper. Wiese joined in on the action by swishing a 3-pointer on the right wing closest to the Sparks bench. The Mystics answered with a steal and a last second 17-foot jumper from Toliver to give the Mystics a 24-10 lead after the first quarter.

Rookies Kalani Brown and Marina Mabrey checked in to start the second quarter, with Brown sinking two free throws in her first minute of play. A lid remained on the Sparks basket in the second quarter with Mabrey’s put-back rolling off the rim and Williams’ 3-pointer spinning out. Mabrey tied her career high in rebounding with three by the second quarter and N.Ogwumike led the Sparks in scoring at the half with seven.

The Sparks entered the second half down 21 and early rebounds and hustle plays suggested the Sparks weren’t ready to back down. But Tierra-Ruffin Pratt’s lockdown defense on Toliver was not enough to keep the Sparks in the game as Atkins knocked down two wide open 3-pointers, one in each corner. N.Ogwumike canceled one out by knocking down a three of her own. Still, the Sparks were shooting their lowest shooting percentage of the season at 22%. That percentage would improve to just 28.8% by the final buzzer.

The rookie duo re-entered the game to start the fourth quarter. Wiese scored four early points in the final quarter to help the Sparks avoid a record low of 47 points scored in a game, set in 2007 against the Seattle Storm. In the loss, Wiese set a new season-high of 12 points and Brown tied her season-high for blocks with two after punching Myisha Hines-Allen’s floater out of the air.