Sparks center Lisa Leslie prepares to make a move on Tangela Smith of the Phoenix Mercury Wednesday during game one of the Western Conference finals. Phoenix won, 104-93. (Photo by Eric Wade)
Story Created:
Sep 24, 2009 at 11:47 AM PST
Story Updated:
Sep 24, 2009 at 11:47 AM PST
Having lost game one at home, the Sparks put pressure on themselves to be the ultimate road warriors for the remainder of the best-of-three Western Conference finals.
Wednesday night’s 104-93 loss to the Phoenix Mercury at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion means the Sparks need to win the next two in Arizona to reach the WNBA finals.
Game two is 7 p.m. Friday and game three, if necessary, is Sunday.
As expected, the Mercury’s game plan was to get out in the open court and run, zone it up on defense and win the hustle points.
They were successful on all three, adding a 47 percent (14-of-30) performances from beyond the three-point arc, to keep the Sparks defense off balance.
All-star guard Diana Taurasi, who scored 28 points before fouling out with 19 seconds left, was one of five Phoenix players to score in double figures.
Super sub, Penny Taylor contributed 18 points and all-star Cappie Pondexter finished with 15 points.
Not only did they shoot well (49 percent) from the field, the Mercury were careful with the ball, committing only 10 turnovers.
The worst quarters for the Sparks were the first and fourth when they were outscored by a combined 12 points. They played the Mercury even in the second period and outscored them by three in the third.
The Sparks had more points in the paint (54-34) and Tina Thompson was 4-of-6 from three-point range. L.A. also dominated the boards, holding a 40-26 rebounding advantage.
Making the adjustments for game two will be minor, but the confidence to play in Phoenix with the Mercury’s loyal, screaming fans will be a test for the Sparks.
Candace Parker of the Sparks recorded a double-double with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
Thompson hit nine of 18 shots and scored 25 points. Lisa Leslie had 19 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Western Conference series winner faces either the Detroit Shock or Indiana Fever. The Shock took a 1-0 lead Wednesday in the Eastern Conference finals with a 72-56 victory.
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