Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Sparks came off one of their toughest stretches this season including a previous home game loss to the Seattle Storm to only return home on Wednesday night with a statement victory at Crypto.com Area against a hot Indiana Fever team whom welcome back one of their popular starters, Caitlin Clark but was a non-factor, losing by double digits, 106-92.
The Sparks snapped a three-game losing streak still playing without All-Star and leading scorer, Kelsey Plum as well as Cameron Brink but were able to come up with a big 3 winning combination among Nneka Ogumike, Rae Burell and Dearica Hamby to lead five players in double figures.
“Yeah, that’s how we want to play!” Sparks’ Head Coach Lynne Roberts said. “I thought the ball movement was much much better. 24 assists…The ball was moving and when we play like that, then like I talked about pregame media, like you take better shots…so I thought we shared the ball well tonight and you could see just there was a different energy and connectedness on offense and that’s what the result of that is balanced scoring.”
Sparks had one of their better first halves of the season to enter halftime up seven, 48-41. Fever did not expect this game to be a walk in the park as they expressed during pregame how dangerous it was to play against a seemingly desperate team.
“We’ve got to be connected. We’re missing 36 points a game, right?” Coach Roberts said to FI360News during pregame presser. “Like you can’t make that up with just subbing in one player. So, it’s got to be the sum of the parts is bigger than the whole. I think we can be a dangerous team, but we’ve got to play connected for 40 minutes. “
Sparks came out of halftime even more electrifying to extending their lead to 14, largest of the game. Each time the Fever cut into the deficit, Los Angeles would answer with another run to keep them at bay.
“I thought they did a great job getting the ball out of the net, getting the ball on offense and just pushing, they had a lot of transition points,” Lexie Hull said to FI360News during postgame presser. “27 fast break points. I think they did a really great job of that, pushing the pace. We had a lot of turnovers that led to possessions that we couldn’t get back on defense. So, testament to them and just their aggressiveness on the offensive side.”
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
While Sparks displayed highlights on offense, their defense still seems to be a work in progress as they struggle to contain Kelsey Mitchell whom scored 29 points for the game. Hull added 12 points and Monique Billings grabbed 12 boards.
Ogumike and Hamby had 24 and 21 points, respectively plus eight rebounds apiece as Sparks dominated on the inside with 60 points in the paint, taking advantage of Aaliyah Boston missing for Indiana.
“I don’t think they did anything that we didn’t expect them to do,” Fever’s Head Coach Stephanie White said to FI360News during postgame presser. “No, I think we certainly understand how capable of a team they are. I felt like we just didn’t match their energy. We didn’t match their toughness. We didn’t match their effort tonight.”
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
Sparks played all five starters over 25 minutes while Fever kept Clark on playing restrictions to just 16 minutes.
Burrell finished with 22 points, and their starting backcourt of Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins both added 12 points each.
The Fever had four players in double digits but only Mitchell scored over 20.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
Next up for Los Angeles as they conclude this week three game homestead is Chicago Sky on Friday, July 10th, 7pm and return of a couple of former Sparks.
Los Angeles Sparks Nneka Ogwumike (30) drives to the basket. (Photo by Jason Purisima / fi360 News)
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Sparks opened their first home game on Monday night of a three game homestead this week with a quick basket 13 seconds from the tip that suddenly switched into a game taken by the Seattle Storm, 82-64 led by Flau’jae Johnson’s first quarter sharp shooting to finish with a game high 23 points.
Sparks have lost three straight games and came into tonight’s game with the loss of two players within past few days including another Sparks Gamecock draft lottery pick, TaNiya Latson. Prior, undrafted player, Laura Zeilger, got release in tandem to Sparks resigning a former player from end of last season, Alissa Pilli.
Seattle Storm Flau’jae Johnson (4) sinks a three-pointer early during the first quarter. (Photo by Jason Purisima / fi360 News)
Earlier in pregame presser, Head Coach Lynne Roberts shared about how the team felt after the current roster changes.
“It’s been really good. I know some teams when you go through adversity you struggle with chemistry issues or lack of buy-in or distrust or second guessing and we don’t have any of that,” coach Roberts said to FI360News. “The players trust the coaches, the coaches trust them, and there’s an understanding that we just have to grind through this. We just got to figure it out. And that’s life. That’s sports, and that’s where we’re at right now. But, I’ve been impressed with them, and that’s why I have the confidence I do.”
While coach Roberts remains confident, her team seem to be still figuring it out even though some of those time expired as the team will have more time to continue learning how to win without their franchise star Kelsey Plum or their highest draft lottery pick to date, Cameron Brink.
Los Angeles Sparks Kate Martin (21) shoots a jumper over Flau’jae Johnson (4). (Photo by Jason Purisima / fi360 News)
“We just weren’t good offensively, and I didn’t anticipate cause the vibe was good,” coach Roberts said. “The players were in it. We had a great week and maybe it was that. I don’t know. We just didn’t have it on offense, and I don’t know what else to say other than that.”
Seattle seized taking advantage of their confusion by snagging their second road win of the season.
Johnson dropped 13 points in the first quarter including three triples to pull Seattle ahead 20-15. The Storm led 48-37 at the break after holding the Sparks to 16.7% shooting from 3-point range.
“Defensively, we had the second quarter, which was not good. Other than that, we weren’t bad,” coach Roberts said. “It was giving them those transition points that I thought opened the game up for them. We held them to 82; 20, 20, 14 in those other three quarters. That’s not bad. I didn’t think that defense was why we lost.”
Los Angeles Sparks Dearica Hamby (5) scores on a layup against Ezi Magbegor (13). (Photo by Jason Purisima / fi360 News)
Dearica Hamby did what she does typically hustling to put 17 points on the board for Los Angeles (9-10), while her fellow post-mate Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points and 11 rebounds against her former team.
Jade Melbourne had 11 points for Seattle (6-17). Katie Lou Samuelson scored nine points on three 3-pointers and Awa Fam had four of Seattle’s 14 steals.
Los Angeles scored just eight points in the third quarter as Seattle extended their lead to 20, 68-48. Sparks were held to their fewest points of this season after coming out of halftime.
“I think we were for the most part doing our best to make sure that they couldn’t play inside,” Ogumike said to FI360News during post presser. “I’m not sure if we’re really where we need to be when we recognize our own matchups on offense, you know, and understanding where the shots are coming from, where the best advantage is… I think that’s something that we have room for improvement.”
Despite Los Angeles shortcomings they were not short of support and celebrities’ spotting in attendance such as Actress Tia Mowry, Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, NBA Champion Kevin Durant, season regulars Leslie Jones and Gina Prince-Bythewood, respectively.
Seattle Storm Natisha Hiedeman (2) shoots a jumper over Nneka Ogwumike (30). (Photo by Jason Purisima / fi360 News)
“The best thing about this league, also the hardest thing, but the best thing is that you have to turn the page,” Coach Roberts said. “I thought Seattle played well. Credit them. They played hard and made shots. We missed shots. We’ve got to turn the page and just keep plowing through. We just have to keep pushing through.”
Los Angeles next home game will be on Wednesday as they host the Indiana Fever.
SANTA CLARA, CA– Team USA displayed grit and resilience in a 2-0 shutout victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina at the rocking San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday, July 1. This victory let team USA advance to the next round, where they will face Belgium.
The first goal was scored by Folarin Balogun right before halftime. This goal was very necessary because there seemed to appear to be a missed call that would have resulted in a penalty kick, and another goal was disallowed because of an offside called by the referee.
In the 64th minute, Balogun was issued a red card on a very hard tackle to Tarik Muharemovic. Meaning an immediate ejection for Balogun. In addition, he will not be allowed to play in the Round of 16 on Monday’s matchup against Belgium.
The main thing however, was getting to the next game, with the USA holding on to a precarious lead. Holding on to a one goal lead with over 35 minutes left to play in the game, it would appear that they would not advance to the next round.
Photo by Michael C. Floch
The crowd, who has been raucous and extremely loud up until that point grew eerily silent. It was not until Malik Tillman scored on a free kick in the eighty second minute did the crowd erupt in joy in a obvious USA victory.
So with the hard fought victory the United States will face Belgium on Monday night to possibly advance to the next round
It’s a tall order. But as the USA have proven nothing is impossible in this World Cup.
World Cup fever has struck the whole country. As the game ended, the crowd sang very loudly John Denver’s, “Country Roads” as one. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful game
Los Angeles, CA- USC Athletics held a summer press conference on Monday two days before end of June for the Women’s Basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and a few students-athletes including the long-awaited return of hometown hero JuJu Watkins at the Galen Center.
Coach Gottlieb opened the press conference first with dishing about her team’s current focus on establishing new habits and standards plus two new additions from the transfer portal, Ryann Bennett, Pania Davis.
“We are starting week three of our eight week summer session with the team,” said coach Gottlieb, “I’m really excited to come to work every day. It’s a great group…we have established our standards. We talk about our habits every day. We’re certainly not shying away from the exciting expectations that lie in front of us, but our day-to-day is about getting better as individual players, getting better as a team, building chemistry on and off the court. Not a better place to be than Los Angeles in the summer.”
Coach Gottlieb expressed her excitement about the growth of media coverage on women’s basketball as well in a place where people told her no one would care and even took time to offer advice to WNBA Los Angeles Sparks Head Coach and friend, Lynne Roberts, on how to sustain during a season when your star player succumbs to a crucial injury.
“The season always throws things at you that you’re not necessarily expecting, nor would you want,” said Gottlieb during the presser. I hope that Kelsey’s [Plum] back sooner than later. She’s such a competitor and such a great player…As a coach, you have to figure out, how to get the best out of your team in a player’s absence and still continue to pour into that player when they’re not playing. And I know Lynn will do that. Kelsey’s such a hard worker, such a competitor. They need her out there, but they’re also going to compete and figure things out until she’s back.”
While the Sparks and women’s basketball fans await “KP” to come back for WNBA season, they can celebrate and appreciate the return of another superstar JuJu Watkins whose back to cooking in the lab while remaining humble in her expression of gratitude to those whom supported during her ACL recovery process.
“Honestly, like I’ve had so much like love. I’ve been surrounded by so much love throughout the whole process, even from when it first started to now”, said Watkins, “I would say honestly Paige [Bueckers] was like a big person for me. She constantly checking up on me, sending me texts, just encouraging me. So, I really appreciated that, but honestly, every person in the WNBA world who had gone through that or shared a similar experience just had nothing but love and support for me.“
Love and support of Watkins stretched to the pro leagues from across the NCAA but her teammates were first in line, not to be outdid with enormous anticipation or appreciation to have their veteran leader back on the court. Something Coach Gottlieb mused about her team’s eagerness shown during their practice runs and individual workouts.
“I feel like we all have that competitiveness like nature to us”, said Kennedy Smith, “I feel like we all want to win, we push each other in practice, go 110% every time.”
Superstar Sophomore Jazzy Davidson piggybacked on Smith’s comments about this new look roster and their new habits.
“I think the competitive edge that we all bring to practice every single day. The way we’re willing to compete and just having fun in that, Davidson said.
Incoming Freshman Saniyah Hall added to Smith and Davidson assessment about their summer workouts as she credited them with easing her transition into Division 1 collegiate women’s basketball in the Big 12.
“I would definitely say me being new, not really knowing what to do, you know, having to adapt…just being able to like ask them questions and they can help me just being my support,” said Hall.
Having this mid-year press conference, gave these student-athletes the support of local media but also a chance to express briefly some of their personality without going into details about their status or future outlook of the season.
Even with Davidson making a few major event appearances including to a recent WNBA Sparks game and the NBA draft, led to her being asked about the latter motivate her after supporting her boyfriend.
“Playing in the WNBA is definitely one of my goals”, said Davidson, “So yeah, I hope to be there too in three years, however long for sure.”
Davidson and her teammates will have some time to prepare for that next level in the Pros, for now it’s about this season with a new set of standards, a newly constructed roster of elite talent and a competitiveness that this team hopes to keep without burning out prematurely. Stay tuned!
Los Angeles, CA - LA Sparks Nneka Ogwumike #30 shooting from the top the the key. Photo by Jason Purisima
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Sparks had much to celebrate this weekend beginning with Friday’s Juneteenth holiday, then Saturday kicked off a Sparks’ Legends reunion while hosting a youth clinic after visiting the team’s practice, culminated with a surprise victory over New York Liberty, 98-97 by a Nneka Ogumike’s buzzer beater three-pointer swishing thru the net, giving her teammate Rae Burrell a special birthday memory to share on this Father’s Day with her dad as well as all girl dads or dads period.
“My dad, he was here tonight, Don Roberts, and holds a special place in my heart,” Sparks Head Coach Lynne Roberts said to fi360News at the postgame presser. “He’s the guy who has always held me to a high standard and would tell me good job, but be just as quick to slap me on the ass and say, “Get going.” And that’s the power of a dad…I want to say to all you dads out here, happy Father’s Day, and you know, the world’s a better place because of the dads in the world.”
Los Angeles, CA – LA Sparks Dearica Hamby #5 finishes strong at the rim. Photo by Jason Purisima
As the 30th anniversary game started, there was a brief reenactment of the WNBA’s inaugural game jump ball between Sparks Legend Lisa Leslie and Liberty’s Kym Hampton. This seemed to be a prelude of history repeating itself, as the Liberty won that game 30 years ago by 10 and started this game off in the first quarter up by 10 after closing the period on a 13-4 run, 28-18 advantage New York.
“It’s humbling for sure. I do remember obviously when the league started, I was in Seattle at the time they had the ABL and so I would go to those games,” Coach Roberts said. “I just thought it was the coolest thing, and you know when I started my coaching journey, I didn’t picture myself here right now. I was just trying to win the next game, and just like the process of getting here, it’s the same thing just day by day, stack days.”
Los Angeles was able to stack some defensive stops in the second quarter holding New York to 33% from behind the arc as they were able to shoot three percent better for the first half. Ogumike intercepted a pass from Sabrina Ionescu to go all the way and cut the lead to six, 36-30 around the 6:00 mark in the second quarter. It appeared that the momentum was about to favor Sparks as they came within five-point deficit until Jonquel Jones and Satou Sabally heated up to finish the half with 11 and 10, respectively, while their team entered halftime up 55-43, Liberty advantage.
Los Angeles, CA – LA Sparks Rae Burrell #12 finishes strong at the rim. Photo by Jason Purisima
“Yesterday, one of them [Sparks legends] said, “Enjoy the moment.” This franchise has a lot of legacy. So, it comes with a level of pressure,” Erica Wheeler said. They [Sparks legend] said, “No pressure, but at the end of the day, enjoy it and be blessed to be in Hollywood and with the Sparks because there’s a lot of history here that you know that we need to continue to build.” So when they said that I was like you know what that’s all right.”
Then in the second half, the Sparks flipped a switch, a script and score to stun Liberty with an erasure of a 17-point deficit that came down to the final buzzer of the game. The Sparks went on a 16-5 run starting in the fourth including a momentum boost triple from Wheeler midway in the period to tie the game, 84-84. Ogumike caught a breakaway pass from Kelsey Plum around the 4:30 mark to give Sparks their first lead since the first quarter, 86-85 Sparks advantage.
Los Angeles, CA – WNBA 30th Year Anniversary. Lisa Leslie speaks on the game. Photo by Jason Purisima
Subsequently, Ogumike rallied off nine points of her game high 24 points to help keep her team in the game followed by some clutch free throws made by Burell. After losing their final timeout to an unsuccessful challenge, Sparks advanced the ball after Breanna Stewart made one of two free throws. Wheeler drove the lane and kicked out to Ogumike as time wound down, to knock down an open three pointer at the end of regulation, stamping her own legacy with her fourth game winner of her career.
“Everyone in our locker room wouldn’t have picked another person to hit that shot. [With] what [Nneka Ogwumike]’s done for the league, she’s one of one, Coach Roberts said. “And on a night like tonight, where we are honoring the legacy of not only the Sparks, but of the league. What Nneka has done for the league, especially recently with getting that new CBA done, it’s powerful when you think about it…[Sports] brings out these moments and you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Los Angeles, CA – NY Liberty Brianna Stewart #30 finishes string at the rim. Photo by Jason Purisima
Next up, the Sparks hit the road to travel up northeast to face the Toronto Tempo at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada on Thursday, June 25 at 4 p.m. PT.
LA Sparks, Rae Burrell #12 finishes at the rim to lead the team with 19 points. Photo by Jason Purisima
Los Angeles, CA- The Los Angeles Sparks returned to play their final game of Commissioner Cup in front of a home crowd at Crypto.com Arena despite coming up short to a tough Minnesota Lynx led by their rookie point guard superstar, Olivia Miles breaking a WNBA record with a 24 points half to help her team win, 99-83 on Wednesday night.
Sparks finish the in-season tournament 3-4 after finding a way to score more against one of best league players “Naphessa Collier”-less Lynx team while missing their leading scorer and league MVP frontrunner Kelsey Plum whom surprised many by being out for the second time this season due to an injury.
“I mean we don’t have a choice, right?… We’ve got to learn what we need to and move forward,” Sparks Head Coach Lynne Roberts said to fi360News during postgame presser. “Just keep grinding and you got to have the grit to just, not focus on what’s not going well in terms of mentally and you got to focus on what we can do to be better that’s on all of us. Coaches, players, everybody.”
Los Angeles Sparks, Ariel Atkins #7 pulls up for a jump shot. Photo by Jason Purisima
LA came in the season with an emphasis on improving defense, yet in still have not been able to figure it out as they had no answer for Miles’ moves downhill or cohesive offense after having their lowest points game of the season since 2021.
“I think every team at some point in the season is going to hit adversity,” coach Roberts said to fi360News. “And how you respond determines how your season goes and we’re hitting ours now…I believe in this group and… we’re going to figure it out. I promise you that.”
Sparks did find some bright spots from their bench production even though Cameron Brink sidelined for this game is one of their key figures whom primarily brings that scoring energy and defensive presence off the bench.
“Truthfully, it was a very difficult game for me because, you know, the WNBA is such a high level,” Jihyun Park said via Korean translator. “She wants to make a more of an impact when she’s on the on the court and be a more dependable for her teammates and to the coach.”
Sparks made 41% from the field and 26% from deep while shooting 26 of them. As their defense is still of concern being third worst team in defensive rating, their limited or inconsistent offensive playmaking did not help their cause in tonight’s game as much as Lynx helped with 20 turnovers that led to 25 points for Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Sparks, Erica Wheeler pulls up for a jump shot at the free throw line. Photo by Jason Purisima
Sparks’ Rae Burrell’s started the game aggressive with a 10-point first quarter off 80 percent field goal shooting and perfect from three, stepping up in her role as longest tenured veteran on this squad to finish with 19 points and three assists in 26 minutes.
Burrell’s last three games has produced an 18.7 points average, 2.0 blocks while shooting over 50% overall, and close to 45% from behind the arc along with an impressive 90.0% (18-for-20) from the charity stripe.
Veteran teammates, Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogumike, added 12 and 10 points, respectively but could not score consistently to put together momentum runs to counter or overcome Lynx high intensity style of play.
Hamby grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while shooting 83.3% from the field (5-for-6) and knocking down her only three-point attempt. She passed Chamique Holdsclaw for 32nd in WNBA history in career offensive rebounds plus collected three steals for the 48th time of her career, ranking her 38th all-time.
“Me and Dearica [Hamby] had really good chemistry there in the beginning. They just put me in good positions [and I was trying] to get to the free-throw line,” Burell said. “Just doing whatever we needed. We knew we were down ‘KP’ [Kelsey Plum], so we needed to be more aggressive on offense. I was just trying to bring that.”
Minnesota Lynx, Natasha Howard #1 pulls up for a midrange jump shot finishing with 15 points and led the team with 9 rebounds. Photo by Jason Purisima
Sparks bench came out aggressive as well, producing 32 points led by Park’s career-high night 13 points in 22 minutes. Fellow Sparks draft picks, rookies Chance Gray and Ta’Niya Latson scored career highs with eight and six points, respectively while getting a lot more minutes to indoctrinate them in this league against a tough trio backcourt with Miles, Courtney Williams, and Kayla McBride.
Minnesota went on a 14-2 to close the first period and open the second after battling back and forth with LA including five lead changes and two ties to start the game.
Burrell scored a team-high 14 points in the first half but not enough to counter rookie Miles 24 points a WNBA rookie record for most points in the half putting her team up by 15 points to enter halftime, 52-37.
The Sparks went on a 10-0 run after Lynx open the third quarter with a triple to cut down their lead to 10 around the 4:36 minute mark, 61-51 Lynx’s advantage. Los Angeles took advantage of capitalizing at the free throw line by making 100% on 10-of-10.
Sparks hung around double digits deficit most of the game while utilizing their bench as coach Roberts forewarned during pregame, but were unable to get over the hump despite going on a 13-3 run midway through the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles Sparks, Jihyun Park #6 with ball in hand going strong to the rim. Photo by Jason Purisima
“We’re going to get to see these guys, and I think they know it’s different to get a go,” Coach Roberts said during pregame presser. “It’s one thing to get put in, it’s another thing to be needed. That’s a different level of being ready to go.”
Prior to that run, Park had just hit her first career three-pointer assisted by Ta’Niya Latson. Then Emma Cannon came off the bench and immediately got into the action scoring all of her season-high five points in nearly four minutes to get her team within 12, 91-79.
“Two bright spots I pointed out with the team was Emma [Cannon] and ‘JP’ [Jihyun Park],” Coach Roberts said. “I thought Emma came in ready. She talks on defense, she’ll set hard screens, she executes. I think she earned opportunity. That’s what you do when you get a chance. You make it count and that’s what she did.”
Los Angeles couldn’t sustain or build upon their last desperate end of the game run, missing a couple of wide open baskets and possibly taking some ill-advised shots that led to Minnesota seizing the rebound and going the other way alongside the scoreboard as the lead jumped back up for the Lynx. Minnesota shot 33.3% (4-for-12) from long distance in the second half though Los Angeles was able to slow down Miles by making her play more defense and drawing fouls on her plus having her shoot outside her comfort midrange game as well as keeping her out of the paint.
“It’s the ‘W’ [WNBA]. People are gonna get hurt. You gotta adjust. You just gotta make sure we stay together and keep communicating, keep trying to work on things that we need to work on,” Burell said. “We all have the same goal. We all want to win and just [keep] our tunnel vision on the main goal. Good thing about the ‘W’ is we have another game in a few days, so it’s another opportunity to get better.”
Los Angeles Sparks, Dearica Hamby #5 finishes strong at the rim. Photo by Jason Purisima
Through Sparks organizational fundraising efforts within 2026 Commissioner’s Cup’s seven-games slate, the Sparks raised $13,000 for Brotherhood Crusade, a Los Angeles grassroots organization with a mission of removing and/or helping individuals overcome the barriers that deter their pursuit of success in life and facilitate opportunities for a better quality of life.
The Sparks will host next the New York Liberty on Sunday evening (5 p.m. PT) at Crypto.com Arena in the WNBA 30 Seasons Celebration game.
San Francisco, CA- The Golden State Valkyries look to bounced back from a tough 0-2 road trip coming into tonight’s game defeating the Phoenix Mercury 87-81.
Before the game, Coach Natalie Nakase called her team out by stating she believes they are only giving “50% effort”.
It seemed those words got through to the players as they started off the game matching Phoenix’s intensity. Trailing 16-10 after giving up a quick 10-2 lead they built, it looked like the Valkryies were about to allow the deficit to grow. Star point guard Veronica Burton had other ideas, leading a 7-0 run fueled by her on-ball offensive creation and aggressive defense that created havoc. The Valkyries weathered the storm and regained a 22-18 lead after 1.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
The other member of the Golden State’s backcourt, Gabby Williams when asked about effort, said, “Yea we can’t even… focus on our gameplan if the effort isn’t there.” It seemed she took this to heart as she applied pressure on attacking the rim throughout the game, finishing with a tied-game high of 25 points.
After Gabby hit a 3-pointer to open the third and push the lead to 18, it seemed they were going to run away with it. However, the Mercury led by Alyssa Thomas’s 22p-8r-9a stat line, methodically chipped away at the lead. The comeback peaked at the 51.7 second mark of the 4th quarter when Alyssa hit an and-one to cut the lead to 3. Banking on her claim of giving “100%” Gabby Williams grit showed in the final 50 seconds as she pulled in an offensive rebound and a steal that led to a game sealing free-throw to answer the Mercury scare. They closed the game out 87-81.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
Tied with Gabby at a game high 25 points, Veronica was asked on how they are learning to win and not give up leads: “..Composure, I’m going to keep saying that is a big thing.. and that’s only going to continue to grow with experience.” They’ll look forward to gaining more of that experience at home over the next few days, as they play 6 of the next 8 at Chase Center.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Sparks delivered their most complete defensive performance of the season Sunday afternoon, snapping a three-game losing streak with an 89-72 victory over the Portland Fire at Crypto.com Arena behind dominant double-doubles from Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby.
Ogwumike finished with 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, while Hamby added 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Sparks (5-6) controlled the game after halftime and handed Portland its fourth loss in five games. Kelsey Plum chipped in 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, helping Los Angeles secure its first win since late May.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
The Sparks entered the contest with the WNBA’s worst scoring defense, allowing 93 points per game, but flipped the script against Portland. Los Angeles held the Fire to a season-low 72 points, forced 15 turnovers and limited Portland to just 3-of-28 shooting from 3-point range, a season-worst 10.7%.
“I know I have to be aggressive for my team,” Ogwumike said after recording her third consecutive double-double and fifth of the season. “One thing we’ve been adamant about is working on our defensive schemes. We bought into that and started to get stops. I just do my best to lead by example.”
The victory was anything but easy in the opening half. Portland (6-7) stayed within striking distance behind Megan Gustafson, who recorded her first double-double since 2023 with 16 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Carla Leite and Emily Engstler added 10 points each as the Fire battled the Sparks nearly evenly through the first two quarters.
However, the game turned decisively in the third period.
Los Angeles outscored Portland 23-12 in the quarter, taking advantage of turnovers and cold shooting from the Fire. Portland committed nine turnovers in the second half, including several during the pivotal third quarter, while the Sparks converted defensive stops into transition opportunities.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
Plum ignited the run with aggressive defense and playmaking. She scored nine points in the quarter and repeatedly pushed the pace, while Hamby added seven points as Los Angeles stretched its lead to 64-55 entering the fourth.
“We are still learning each other and working on our spacing,” Hamby said. “But when we defend the way we did today, it makes everything easier offensively. We got out and ran and found each other in good spots.”
The Fire briefly attempted to rally early in the fourth quarter, but the Sparks quickly shut the door. The defining sequence came midway through the period when Plum stripped Leite near midcourt and immediately fired a pass ahead to Hamby for a fast-break layup. The basket capped an 11-2 Los Angeles run and extended the lead to 18 points with just over six minutes remaining.
From there, the Sparks controlled the tempo and cruised to the finish, receiving additional support from Rae Burrell, who scored 10 points off the bench.
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts credited her team’s commitment to the game plan and defensive discipline for producing the breakthrough performance.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
“Discipline to follow the game plan,” Roberts said. “We can’t do Plan B until we do Plan A first. We have to do it for 40 minutes, and it’s a choice. Today, our players made that choice.”
For Portland, the loss continued a difficult stretch. The Fire entered the game having lost three straight and struggled to find offensive rhythm against the Sparks’ pressure. Their three made 3-pointers tied a season low, and their 72 points marked one of their lowest offensive outputs of the season.
For Los Angeles, the afternoon represented a much-needed step forward. Behind veteran leadership from Ogwumike and Hamby, improved defensive execution and a strong second-half effort, the Sparks finally found the formula they had been searching for during their recent skid.
Photo by Jevone Moore / fi360 News
The victory gives Los Angeles momentum as it heads into the next phase of the WNBA schedule, while Portland will look to regroup after another frustrating road defeat.
San Francisco, CA- The Golden State Valkyries buried a franchise-record 18 3-pointers and turned a dominant first half into a convincing 95-77 victory over the Portland Fire on Wednesday night at Chase Center, opening Commissioner’s Cup play with one of the most complete performances in franchise history.
Golden State (6-3) connected on 52.2% of its 3-point attempts in the first half, knocking down 12 shots from beyond the arc before halftime to build a commanding 56-36 lead. The Valkyries never trailed after the opening minutes and withstood a late Portland rally to secure their sixth win of the season.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
Kayla Thornton led a balanced Golden State attack with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Valkyries showcased the perimeter shooting and defensive intensity that have become hallmarks of their early-season success. Janelle Salaün added 18 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting night, while Veronica Burton contributed 10 points and nine assists despite entering the game listed as questionable with a bruised muscle suffered in Sunday’s loss to Las Vegas.
“It goes back to our guards getting in the paint and spraying it out and just believing that we can shoot and knock them down,” Thornton said after the game. “When everybody is touching the ball and trusting one another, those shots start falling.”
Golden State established control early by forcing Portland into difficult half-court possessions while turning defensive stops into transition opportunities. The Valkyries’ ball movement repeatedly created open looks on the perimeter, and they capitalized throughout the opening 20 minutes.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
The hot shooting stretched Portland’s defense thin and allowed Golden State to dictate the pace. By halftime, the Valkyries had already matched one of their best offensive performances of the season, building a 20-point cushion behind a barrage of long-range baskets.
Coach Natalie Nakase credited the team’s work on the defensive end for fueling the offensive explosion.
“Defense and rebounding were the foundation that allowed the Valkyries to generate their offense and three-point opportunities,” Nakase said. “When we’re defending at a high level, we’re able to play faster and get the kind of shots we want.”
The game also featured an emotional return for former Golden State point guard Carla Leite, now with Portland. Before tipoff, the Valkyries honored Leite with a tribute video that prompted a standing ovation from the Chase Center crowd. The guard responded with 10 points and seven assists for the Fire, drawing loud cheers throughout the night.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
Portland (6-5) struggled to recover from its slow start despite a strong effort from center Megan Gustafson, who led the Fire with 13 points and eight rebounds. The expansion franchise also received contributions from Leite and its supporting cast, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
The Fire mounted their best run in the fourth quarter, using an 11-1 surge to trim the deficit to single digits and briefly inject some drama into the contest. Golden State quickly answered, however, with consecutive baskets and timely defensive stops that restored order and extinguished any hopes of a comeback.
One of the night’s brightest moments for the Valkyries came from rookie Justė Jocytė. The Lithuanian guard, who made her WNBA debut just last week, scored a season-high eight points off the bench and continued to show signs of becoming an important contributor in Golden State’s rotation.
Photo by Trisha Victorio / fi360 News
The victory marked another milestone for the league’s newest franchise, as the Valkyries continued to build momentum in their inaugural season. Their record-setting shooting performance, combined with disciplined defense and balanced scoring, sent a message to the rest of the WNBA that Golden State is quickly becoming a formidable contender.
With the win, the Valkyries improved to 6-3 and opened Commissioner’s Cup competition on a high note, while Portland fell to 6-5 despite a spirited late push. Golden State will look to carry the momentum into its next matchup as it continues its pursuit of a playoff spot in its historic first season.
Los Angeles, CA – In a blockbuster trade on Monday, June 1, All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett has been traded from the Cleveland Browns the best defensive presence in the NFL to the Los Angeles Rams. It is a fantastic move by an organization who is improving their one weakness, which is preventing them from winning a Super Bowl.
This massive deal involved multiple high-value assets and is being hailed as a landscape move across the NFL world. The Rams had to give up young pass rusher Jared Verse and three draft picks for the generational talent, that is Myles Garrett.
Last season, recording an NFL record 23 sacks, Garrett is joining a team that is clearly all in on pursuing a Super Bowl in 2026. Verse will head east to Cleveland, where he’ll replace Garrett on a team that is quietly assembling a promising young core, for which Verse should serve as a pillar going forward.
Toward the end of the season, especially in the NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks, it was apparent the Rams defense- not only the maligned secondary was responsible for the 31-27 gut wrenching loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks.
Garrett’s arrival supplies Chris Shula — a defensive coordinator whose successes nearly landed him a head coaching job in 2026 — with a game-wrecking force uniquely skilled enough to create mismatches anywhere along the defensive front.
Instead of watching his pass rush register pressures but fail to get home, Shula can now deploy Garrett wherever he prefers and create advantages elsewhere. If he gets Garrett in a one-on-one matchup, he can smile as he watches Garrett destroy a tackle before swallowing up an opposing quarterback. Garrett joins Los Angeles fresh off a NFL record 23 sacks and has recorded at least 10 sacks in each of the past eight campaigns (he had seven in his 2017 rookie season).
With a core of young defensive talent including Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske.
Everyone in L.A. is thrilled by the news, including recently ‘retired’ Ram Aaron Donald.
I use the term, ‘retired’ loosely because former Rams teammate, Michael Brockers, said that the NFL great might be considering coming out of retirement.
“(I have) some knowledge that others might not have … My guy is staying ready so he doesn’t have to get ready,” Brockers said during a recent interview.
Donald retired after the 2023 season, concluding one of the most dominant runs a defensive tackle has ever had in the sport.
Donald, 35, made the Pro Bowl in all 10 of his seasons, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year three times. In 154 career games, he recorded 543 tackles with 111 sacks and 24 forced fumbles.
