The Los Angeles Sparks fell to the Connecticut Sun 86-66 on Tuesday. Despite the loss, Forward Azurá Stevens put up a career-high of 17 rebounds. Stevens enjoys the matchup between her and Sun forward Brionna Jones.
“Obviously, she’s really talented but I’m a quick, agile post,” Stevens said. “I’ve played against her for a few years now and I like to exploit that. I think the team did a good job of giving me the ball.”
Sparks forward Rickea Jackson led with 16 points. Guard Crystal Dangerfield sank three of the six three-pointers the Sparks made, ultimately scoring 11 points.
“My teammates, I’m trying to pour into them and they pour back into me,” Dangerfield said. “Whatever minutes I get out there on the court, I’m just gonna go as hard as I can.”
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Sparks head coach Curt Miller was grateful for Dangerfield for seeking out three-point opportunities.
“Talked about the three-pointers tonight and wanting to take more and hunt more threes, I thought for the most part, we did that,” Miller said. “Appreciate [Dangerfield] continuing to hunt for threes like we asked and had what I consider her best performance as a Spark with us this year.”
Miller talked about how he was treating the games this week like they are the playoffs. The Sparks have to play three games in four days, two of which were against the Sun. Their next game is the tail-end of a back-to-back against the Seattle Storm.
“I got a group that has always been a willing preparer and we’re gonna coach them like we’re fighting for the number one seed,” Miller said. “[Seattle has] dynamic players, a lot of Olympic-type players, so we look forward to the challenge Seattle brings.”
The Sparks led by as much as eight points in the first quarter, but an eight-point run by the Sun in the second quarter thwarted the Sparks. Sun guard Marina Mabrey led with 26 points, scoring 6-8 from deep.
“[Mabrey] had a really good game against us,” Miller said. “We never could really make a run at the second half to make them feel us.”
Since the Olympic break, the Sparks were unable to put together a streak of multiple victories. Stevens noted how the squad has been discussing ways to remain positive despite their overall record.
“We’re out of playoffs now, there’s a lot of negatives but there’s a lot we could be building towards too,” Stevens said. “A lot of us are gonna be returning next year and even the ones that aren’t, it’s still and opportunity to grow as a player in this league.”
The Sparks will host the Seattle Storm on September 11 at 7:00P.M.
