The Guru’s WNBA Report: Bueckers Leads Dallas Over Washington; Expansion Portland Keeps Connecticut Winless; Chicago’s Jackson Out for Season

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

Week two of the 30th WNBA season got under way Monday night with a doubleheader delighting both home crowds as Dallas erupted with a 28-17 third quarter to beat Washington 92-69 in front of 6,251 at the College Park Center in suburban Arlington while expansion Portland edged Connecticut 83-82 before 12,010 in the Moda Center in Oregon leaving the visiting Sun (0-5) as the only winless squad in the 15-team league, the other three who played are now 2-2 while after Atlanta’s one-point loss to Las Vegas Sunday, no unbeaten squads remain.

Down in Texas, reigning rookie of the year Paige Bueckers scored 18 points with seven assists for the winning Wings, her former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd, the overall top pick in last month’s draft, off the bench had her best performance with 12 points in 24 minutes, shooting 6-for-9 with three assists and a pair of rebounds, and former Notre Dame standout Arike Ogunbowale scored 16 points.

Additionally, Jessica Shepard had 12 points and 16 boards, equaling the WNBA single game high for rebounds this season, and reserve and former Villanova standout Maddy Siegriest, the number three overall pick of the 2023 draft, shot 4-for-9 with a pair of makes from deep for 10 points.

Bueckers shot 4-of-5 from distance, as Dallas shared the ball well with 31 assists on 33 in building a lead that reached 25 points off a 52-14 run across the third and fourth quarters and also excelled defensively with 23 points off 18 turnovers.

Washington’s Shakira Austin scored 12 points and reserve Lauren Betts, who went fourth overall last month out of NCAA champion UCLA that saw a record six players selected, had 11 points and second-year pro Kiki Iriafen scored nine points with 10 points but sister all-rookie Sonia Citron was held to seven points.

Former Villanovan Lucy Olsen, whose senior year was at Iowa before drafted in 2025, off the bench was a perfect 3-for-3 and had eight points.

After the Wings’ last game, a loss, first-year coach Jose Fernandez out of a long stint at South Florida said there had been a lot of selfishness in the Dallas locker room.

Bueckers on the response said after Monday’s win, “It felt really good. It started when we set the tone off the jump, defensively, we held them to a nine-point first quarter and then after that we played unselfishly, we got out in transition.

“We had really good days of practice leading up to this game, really talking and communicating.”

“The offense hasn’t been the problem,” Fernandez said. “In the third and fourth quarter the ball was really moving. This game was won because how we defended, how we rebounded. It was won because of the commitment the last two days at practice and shootaround.”

Fudd said of her performance, “My goal was just to be aggressive when I got into the game and contribute any way I could, watch what the starters were doing and they started the game being aggressive, pushing the pace, so I wanted to do that.”

Fire Clip Sun

Portland’s Sarah Ashlee Barker, a reserve and second-year pro out of Alabama who came from Los Angeles in the expansion draft, and Bridget Carleton, a Canadian and seven-year pro who came the same way out of Minnesota, each collected 18 points, a career-high for Barker,  while Sug Sutton, a former NCAA Texas star who last played in Washington, put the Fire in front 81-79 with 22.6 seconds left in regulation.

Sutton finished with 12 points and five assists.

The Sun, acquired in 2003 from Orlando and who have been sold and relocating next season in Houston reviving as the Comets who won the first four WNBA crowns (1997-200), failed to tie on their next two possessions.

Carleton was then fouled and made it a four-point lead with 9.7 ticks remaining on the clock.

Charlisse Leger-Walker, who went in the second round last month out of UCLA, scored from deep for the visitors, the Fire then committed an offensive foul, but Aneesah Morrow’s half-court heave was short.

Portland’s Emily Engstler added 15 points and Nyadiew Puoch scored 10 points.

Free-agent signee Brittney Griner with an eye to her native Texas next season topped Connecticut with 16 points, getting to one off 6,000 for her career, while Morrow, Hailey Van Lith and Aaliyah Edwards each scored 12 and Leger-Walker, a native New Zealander who also played at Washington State, scored 10 points.

Holding Portland to 13 points in the second quarter, the Sun shot 58% from the field while the home team was 3-of-13 from deep.

The game was tied 64-64 at the end of three quarters after the Sun’s Saniya Rivers went length-of-court to score from the line.

Foul shooting plagued the Sun, who shot 11-of-20 at the line and went deep on the early schedule last summer before being more competitive down the stretch.

Fire coach Alex Sarama, a former NBA assistant in Cleveland, said of picking Barker to fit his system, “It’s grit, it’s resilience. It’s being the hardest worker every single minute. And I think SA shows all of that and more.”

She described her style, “It’s just stepping up for your teammates, and just doing the little things. I’ve always been someone who enjoys doing the little things, enjoy rebounding, enjoys playing defense, and just the way whatever the team needs of me.”

Sutton started the game in place of French guard Carla Leite who twisted her right ankle in Portland’s first of two games hosting New York on May 12, a game Barker scored the winner ahead of the final buzzer.

‘The key thing that stood out was the perseverance,” Sarama said of Monday’s win. “It was messy, very scrappy at times. I always felt we had a chance to win that game knowing the trust we have in that group.”

Last summer Golden State in its first season set WNBA expansion records with a total game night sellout, number of wins, and making the playoffs.

This season both Portland and Toronto have picked up a pair of wins 11 days into the action.

Jackson Lost for Season in Chicago

Rickea Jackson, who went down in the second quarter of Sunday’s game in Minnesota, an injury that drew Sky free-agent and Saint Joseph’s alum Natasha Cloud criticizing officials for losing control of the game, has been lost for the season with an ACL, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Looking Ahead

A single game Tuesday has Phoenix hosting Toronto at 10 p.m. on League Pass while on Wednesday USA airs Indiana hosting Portland at 7 p.m. and Chicago hosting Dallas at 9 p.m. before Connecticut visits Seattle at 10 p.m. on League Pass.

On Thursday on the weekly Amazon Prime games, New York returns home for the first time since the season opener on May 8 and hosts Golden State at 8 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before Phoenix hosts Los Angeles at 10 p.m.

Also, at 8 on League Pass, Minnesota hosts Toronto.

On Friday, the triple header on ION has Atlanta hosting Dallas at 7:30 p.m., the same time Indiana hosts Golden State before Seattle hosts Connecticut, the latter also on League Pass.

On Saturday, which was dark last week, CBS and Paramount+ kick in with Chicago hosting Minnesota at 1 p.m., and defending champion Las Vegas hosting L.A. 8 p.m. while at 6 p.m., Toronto hosts Portland, the two newest teams meeting the first time.

After a break next season, the expansion continues with Cleveland returning in 2028, Detroit doing likewise in 2029, and Philadelphia coming on board in 2030.

The Guru’s WNBA Report: Clark’s Indy Win Gets Her More Records; Las Vegas Game Winner Over Atlanta Removes Last Unbeaten; Toronto Gets First Road Win

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

It was a day of Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Las Vegas’ Aja Wilson setting more records in their respective games as part of Sunday’s four-part WNBA package, expansion Toronto racked up another early victory, and a surprise win by Chicago.

Clark had 21 points and 10 assists with seven boards in a near triple-double in just 24 minutes, and after missing most of last season playing in just 13 games through mid-July,  her 12th time with a 20-point and 10-assist game set a WNBA record in an 89-78 win by the Fever (2-2) over the Seattle Storm (1-3) before a home crowd of 14,505 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, though teammate and 2023 overall No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston missed her first game in her four-year pro career.

The first miss in 275 games also includes an additional four years playing in the NCAA at South Carolina under Dawn Staley.

Boston departed Indiana’s previous game with a lower right leg injury and was listed day-to-day.

That game, a narrow overtime loss to Washington at home in which a stat update gave\ two more assists saw Clark corrected to break a tie with Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot and on Sunday her fourth straight game of 20-plus points and five-plus assists tied a league mark to start a season.

Her 32 points in Friday’s loss also set a mark with her second 30-plus 10-assist career game.

In a narrow 85-84 win by defending champion Las Vegas (4-1) at Atlanta (2-1) on Chelsea Gray’s shot with 3.6 seconds left in regulation that quickly took away the last unbeaten team at the end of the first week of the WNBA’s 30th season before a sellout home crowd of 17,044 at the NBA Hawks’ State Farm Arena, Wilson scored 20 as her 5,841 career points moved her past her Aces coach Becky Hammon to 19th on the league’s all-time career list.

Expansion Toronto (2-2) won its second game triumphing 106-96 at Los Angeles (1-3) before a Crypto.com Arena crowd of 11,648 as Brittney Sykes had a career-high 38 points in the Tempo’s first-ever road victory.

Rookie and first-round pick Gabriela Jaquez out of NCAA champion UCLA had early career highs of 20 points and eight boards as Chicago (3-1) grabbed an 86-78 win at Minnesota (2-2) before a crowd of 10,001 at the Target Center in Minneapolis but the Sky lost third-year pro Rickea Jackson, the fourth overall pick of the 2024 draft out of Tennessee, with a left knee injury halfway through the second quarter causing teammate and free-agent Natasha Cloud to accuse the officials of losing control of the game.

Two of Sunday’s games were carried by NBC platforms, a return from televising games in the early years of the WNBA and introduced retired Hall of Famers Sue Bird and Cheryl Miller as part of the NBC studio crew.

The network pulled a surprise “good luck” live video greeting from Miller’s brother, retired NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and her two young nieces.

Fever Handle Storm

Indiana jumped in front with a 15-0 run in the first period spurred by Clark who had 17 by the half, the game total by teammates Kelsey Mitchell and reserve Sophie Cunningham.

Seattle’s Natisha Hiedman, a free agent from Minnesota, had 19 points, first-round pick Flau’jae Johnson out of LSU scored 14, Zia Cook scored 13 and Jade Melbourne scored 12.

Of her performance, Clark said, “I always take pride being able to set my teammates up for success. That allows our team to really get flowing, and I can do a really good job of that.

“I only played 23 minutes tonight, and I had 10 assists, so I think it shows the potential of what this team can do offensively. They’ve got to make the shots for me to get the assist, so half of it is them, and I’ve got to set them up for success. “

Indiana coach Stephanie White said of what is improved in Clark’s start to her comeback season, “I think you can see it, not just in taking off with the ball in her hands, but you can see it in the lift in her shot. She looks strong. She looks loaded in her actions. You can tell by the way she gets to the free line, too. So, I just think her movement patterns and her burst are back.“

White didn’t reveal much on Boston’s status, terming the move to rest her as one of caution.

Aces Nip Dream

Las Vegas is on a four-game streak after dropping its opener as Gray’s winning shot gave her 21 points, just ahead of the 20 by Wilson and Chennedy Carter, who as a free-agent signee is averaging 19.4 points after not picked by any of the now 15 teams (13 active in 2025) last season.

NaLyssa Smith had 13 points, all but two in the second half, while Jackie Young, who had seven assists, was 0-for-12 from the field, including 0-for-5 from deep, her first scoreless game since 2020.

Atlanta had a deep deficit until launching a 16-0 run completed by Te-Hina Paopao’s 3-pointer that brought the Dream within a point with 2:16 left in regulation.

Atlanta went in front 84-83 on Jordin Canada’s shot with 36 seconds left and then Gray missed a shot, but a tie-up gave the Aces possession for her game-winner.

Third-year pro Angel Reese, who came to Atlanta in a deal with Chicago, was deprived of her ongoing double-double attack, held to nine points on 1-for-8 from the field, and eight boards but also committing eight turnovers.

Paopao had 19 points, rookie Madina Okot out of South Carolina had her second double-double with 14 points and 11 caroms, while Canada scored 11 points and had seven steals.

On injury row, Rhyne Howard (concussion protocol) and Brionna Jones (knee) were sidelined for Atlanta and the visitors missed Dana Evans (leg) and Janiah Barker (concussion protocol).

“That’s who she is,” Hammon said of Gray. “The bigger the moment, the bigger she gets.”

Atlanta coach Karl Smesko said of the game by Reese, “I expect her to be a big impact player. What I see every day is someone working really hard in practice, who wants to learn, who asks for extra film.

“She has the athletic tools to be one of the best players and she’s motivated to become one of the best players. I think through the course of the season you’ll get to see her get more comfortable within our style of play, it’s definitely a transition when you go from one team to another, and you have to learn a whole new system.”

Tempo Bests Sparks

Besides Sykes’ night, rookie Kiki Rice, making her first start near her UCLA national champion alma mater, scored 19 points, while Marina Marbrey scored 14 and Kia Nurse 10 in a game Toronto shot 39-of-42 at the line, Sykes a perfect 15-for-15.

L.A,’s Kelsey Plum scored 28, Dearica Hamby collected 19, Nneka Ogwumike scored 17, and Kate Martin, the former Iowa star recently signed as a development player after cut by Golden State, scored 11.

The Sparks were 23-for-30 from the line as referees continue to call things tight in a move to gain more player movement.

Indiana’s Clark said of the officiating, “I think for our team, defensively, we need to adjust. We foul all the time. And Steph’s told us in the locker room, they’re fouls. And we are fouling, and they’re going to call it. So, we need to stop fouling.”

Unlike Friday night when Toronto trailed 19-2, the Tempo broke from an 18-18 tie leading the rest of the way in front of a crowd that included UCLA coach Cori Close, who shot video of Rice, her former player.

“We started very poorly, still sleeping, think I said that,” Toronto coach Sandy Brondello compared the two games.

“Today, we were very more connected. I was confident going into the game, if we stayed together and executed.”

Sky Deals Lynx

Kamilla Cordoso behind Jaquez’ night had 11 points and 12 boards, Rachel Banham added 13 points, the newly acquired Cloud scored 11 and dealt seven helpers, and Jacy Nelson scored 10.

It was a four-point game with 1:44 left after Courtney Williams scored from deep for Minnesota and Natasha Howard scored a layup, but Jaquez came back with a three to make it 83-76.

Minnesota’s Kayla McBride scored 20 and Howard 17 with nine boards and seven assists.

Williams finished with 17 points while second overall pick Olivia Miles in last month’s draft had 13 points and four steals.

Skylar Diggins with an eye injury was sidelined for Chicago while Minnesota’s whose elite Napheesa Collier isn’t due back from elite surgery until next month, began life the rest of the way without Emma Cechova who suffered an ACL injury in the recent win in Dallas.

Of the loss of Chicago’s Jackson, who came in a trade this season with the Sparks and due for an MRI on Monday, Cloud said, “On top of the points of emphasis that were emphasized at the beginning of the season, their ultimate job is to control and protect the players in this game. And I think about this group today failed to do so. Truthfully, I think it’s bull…

“You can be mad at me if you want to, but I’ll be damned if we keep getting players hurt in this league on any team because we refuse to control the game.”

Chicago has been on the road to start the season ahead of Wednesday’s home opener.

“We’re all extremely pleased and proud to come away with this road trip 3-1 and looking forward to getting back home,” said Chicago coach Tyler Marsh.

Off the loss, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, the native of South Jersey, said, “Repeatedly, we have fouled since training camp.

“I think we talked about fouling before the game and where did we lose the game? Fouling,” Reeve said.

“We gave ourselves a chance. We didn’t quit, kept fighting …  Chicago’s a better team than we are right now. When I watched video, I was struck by their cohesion. their identity, defensively,” she continued.

“Very, very strong. Give them credit. They had us out of sorts and unaware and how to play against them. It’s good for us. This was good for Olivia Miles. This was good for all of them. It’s not easy. We’re not going to sit there and yell, ‘referees, referees.’ There’s physicality. And it’s legal. And we gotta figure out how to do the same thing.”

Looking Ahead

The NBC Sports Network and Peacock come back Monday night at 8 p.m. for Washington’s visit to Dallas followed at 10 p.m. on League Pass when Connecticut visits Portland.

A single game Tuesday has Phoenix hosting expansion Toronto at 10 p.m. on League Pass while on Wednesday USA airs Indiana hosting expansion Portland at 7 p.m. and Chicago hosting Dallas at 9 p.m. before Connecticut visits Seattle at 10 p.m. on League Pass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Guru’s UPSHOT/WNBA Report: Philly’s Diamond Johnson Leads Greensboro to a Double Overtime Winning Edge Over Savannah; Upcoming WNBA Slate

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

The WNBA may have been off Saturday, but when it comes to putting points on the board, in a back-to-back turnaround the Greensboro Groove completed a two-day home sweep on the new four-team UPSHOT League’s opening weekend edging Savannah 107-105 in double-overtime after beating the Steel in one of Friday’s openers.

Philly native Diamond Johnson, who played at Rutgers, N.C. State and Norfolk State, led the Groove with 27 points.

Johnson was all-Big Ten freshman at Rutgers in 2021 and second team all-conference, followed in 2022 as the ACC sixth player of the year, and then in 2024 was the MEAC tournament MVP, newcomer of the year and a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award averaging 20.2 points for Norfolk State.

The two teams traded advantages most of the way.

Tai’Sheka Porchia, a 2024 graduate of Troy who was second-team all-Sun Belt that season, hadn’t scored all night but in the second overtime made the second of a two-shot foul attempt for the Groove.

After Savannah had scored a one-shot foul committed by former Colorado star Mya Hollingshed off ball, Quanniecia Morrison, a former all-SEC all-freshman from Georgia, on a retention of possession came up short,  Johnson grabbed the rebound and fed Porchia for the game winner before Savannah’s Lasha Petree, who played at Bradley, Rutgers and Purdue, scored the final points.

Petree scored 31 for Savannah, whose Megan McConnell, a recent Duquesne grad who had bern in a WNBA training camp, was a key contributor off the bench.

The teams play a third time on the league’s free YouTube channel Friday at Savannah’s home opener in Georgia.

WNBA Looking Ahead

On Sunday, NBC returns to the WNBA telecast fold for the first time since early in the league’s history.

The main network and Peacock will air the Las Vegas game at Atlanta at 1:30 p.m., while at 6 p.m., the NBC Sports Network and Peacock will televise Seattle at Indiana.

League Pass has the other two games – Chicago at Minnesota at 7 p.m. and Toronto at Los Angeles at 7 p.m.

The NBC Sports Network and Peacock come back Monday night at 8 p.m. for Washington’s visit to Dallas followed at 10 p.m. on League Pass when Connecticut visits Portland.

A single game Tuesday has Phoenix hosting expansion Toronto at 10 p.m. on League Pass while on Wednesday USA airs Indiana hosting expansion Portland at 7 p.m. and Chicago hosting Dallas at 9 p.m. before Connecticut visits Seattle at 10 p.m. on League Pass.

The Guru’s WNBA Report: Citron Leads Washington Past Clark’s Breakout Long Game at Indy; ‘Vegas’ Wilson Burns Connecticut for 45; Charlotte and Greensboro Gain First Wins as UPSHOT League Debuts

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Caitlin Clark fueled an Indiana comeback in the fourth quarter in front of a home crowd of 15,673 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Friday night to watch the Fever (1-2) highlighting the four games on the league schedule but second-year pro Sonia Citron enabled Washington (2-1) to withstand the surge and pick up a 104-102 victory in overtime.

The Connecticut Sun (0-4) were far more competitive in their second home game in three nights against the Las Vegas Aces (3-1) but reigning and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson was unstoppable giving the defending champions their third-straight victory 101-94 before a crowd of 7,265 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville.

Out West Los Angeles (2-1) got off to a quick start at home before a crowd of 11,861 at the Crypto.com Arena foiling an upset bid by the expansion Toronto Tempo (1-2) with a 99-95 victory, while down in the Arizona desert in another shootout Phoenix (2-2) overcame a huge blown lead to visiting Chicago (2-1) to win 91-83 in front of a crowd of 11,094 at the Mortgage Matchup Center handing the Sky their first setback and leaving idle Atlanta (2-0) as the only unbeaten team as the first week of the WNBA 30th season neared its conclusion.

The new four-team UPSHOT League providing additional opportunities outside the WNBA got under way in Jacksonville, Fla., and Greensboro, N.C., with the host Waves losing 103-95 to the Charlotte Crown before a sellout crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and the host Greensboro Groove winning 85-81 over the Savannah Steel in a home sellout.

Mystics Edge Fever

Clark looked like the long-range force she was igniting attention to the sport her last two seasons in college at Iowa before attaining Rookie of the Year stature two summers ago as a pro when she hit a 27-foot shot with 1.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and finishing with 32 points, eight assists  and four boards shooting 7-for-17 from deep.

Citron nearly ended it right there, countering with a 52-footer but the attempt was ruled after the buzzer and eventually she ended the night with a career-high 30 points with six boards and four assists while sister second-year pro Kiki Iriafen on the league’s youngest roster also had a career night with 25 points and 13 rebounds and Shakira Austin scored 19 points with nine rebounds and five assists.

Rookie Cotie McMahon, the No. 11 pick in last month’s draft out of Ole Miss who missed her first two games with a left elbow sprain, had 13 points with five boards and two assists in her pro debut.

Clark, sidelined last season from mid-June with injuries, only appearing in 13 games, was rusty behind the arc shooting 3-for-16 in the Fever’s first two games but finally came ubtracked in the fourth quarter when she had 17 of her points.

“I felt like I could have made another, like, five,” she said. “They’re all right there, and obviously it was great to break through and get some to go down.

“That’s the hardest thing as a basketball player, when you’re not making shots — to really stay in it. So, I’m certainly proud of myself — really calm really battled. And a lot of those shots are very, very makeable. “

She said her slow start in the first two games going long range may have hampered her.

“I think I started hesitating a little bit and probably hesitated a little bit to start the season, she said. “I didn’t need to do that. Best one I’m just letting it fly.”

After going 2-for-15 from deep her first three quarters she found her mark, but ultimately the Mystics became the second straight team to score 100 on the Fever.

“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said.

“When things aren’t going well we have to find a way to defend and get stops,” Clark said. “We haven’t done that very well to this point.”

Kelsey Mitchell added 24 points for Indiana and Monique Billings scored 10 but Aliyah Boston, the 2023 rookie of the year and No. 1 pick out of South Carolina was limited to nine points, leaving after 8 minutes of the third quarter.

Outshot by Indiana’s 17 3s Washington countered inside 48-28.

Wilson Powers Aces Over Sun

Host Connecticut being shorthanded was depleted on the wrong night as A’ja Wilson shot 15-for-18 from the field and made each of 13 attempts from the line for 45 points while Chennedy Carter scored 18 points continuing a strong return after playing overseas last season not signing with any team.

The home team made a brief rally after trailing 69-56 with four minutes left in the third period on a 14-3 run completed with a pair of makes from deep to move within a possession 72-70 before Las Vegas then powered to the finish as Wilson scored the next six points with a 3 and a three-point play and the Aces outscoring the Sun 16-4 into the final period.

Brittney Griner and Olivia Nelson-Ododa remained sidelined with injuries though Cinnecticut got Aliyah Edwards back for her season debut with six points in 17 minutes.

Hailey Van Lith, picked up when waived by Chicago last week, scored 17 points.

 “Finding shots in our system and letting the flow of the game take over,” Wilson said of her night. “That’s big to me. I want to be efficient. It’s beautiful to rack up all these points, but to be efficient, that’s what is key. “

Wilson has now reached 40 five times snapping a tie with New York’s Breanna Stewart and retired Phoenix great Diana Taurasi.

She’s the sole player in league history to score 45 or more points shooting 80% from the field according to ESPN research.

Her personal best came three seasons ago in 2023 on August 22 when she torched Atlanta for 53 points.

“She was unbelievable,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon. “Really happy with the free throws. The 3s, she just continued to sprinkle those in. She got a lot of early touches.”

Wilson said the shot from deep on the six-point burst wasn’t planned.

“I was trying to take what the defense was giving me. (Rookie Raegan) Beers was playing a bit off, so why not.”

Of the Sun’s move to Houston next season making Friday likely her last visit, Wilson reflected, “got my first WNBA point in this building and championship in this building. It’s fun coming here. Going to miss this place.”

Sparks Edge Tempo

Los Angeles built an early lead over the expansion visitors and Kelsey Plum had 18 of her 25 points in the second half though Toronto, who won their first-ever game earlier this week reduced a 20-point deficit to within 2 with 2:23 left in regulation before Plum, who will make studio appearances in the Amazon Prime Thursday league telecasts, and Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 20, combined to score the next six points.

The Tempo within three under a minute left then fell off as Plum and Cameron Brink each scored twice from the line in the final 14 seconds.

Dearica Hamby scored 19 for the Sparks, while Rae Burrell scored 13 and Erica Wheeler had 10.

Toronto’s Brittney Sykes led the way with 27 points, Nyara Sabally scored 14, while off the bench Laura Juskaite had 16 points and Kiki Rice, the rookie from NCAA champion UCLA, scored 11 points.

L.A. dominated the inside 54-30 and outshot the visitors 64% to 44% from the field.

Earlier in the week the Sparks announced retired Hall of Fame great Lisa Leslie was going to be honored with a statue outside the arena in a ceremony on Sept. 20 in the Star Plaza that has similar honors to many greats of the NBA Lakers.

She’s just the second WNBA player so honored from her respective organization.

“To be submitted in Los Angeles, the city that raised me, I couldn’t be more proud to be a role model forever!” Leslie said in a statement Thursday. “God just me and I have truly given my all to this sport and our community.

“I am thankful to my coaches, teammates, incredible fans, and, most importantly, my family and friends. As the saying goes, ‘the wolf is only as strong as the pack,’ and I’ve been fortunate to have an amazing pack supporting me every step of the way.”

As for the way the game went second-year coach Lynne Roberts said, “this is a WNBA team and their coach by one of the all-time greats (Sandy Brondello) in the league, “Robert said afterwards. “They’re not going to just go away. We talked about that and those are competitors over there, so you have to first give them some credit. “

Brondello, who coached New York last season and guided the Liberty to the 2024 title, said of her team falling deep behind, “We were sleeping. It’s unacceptable. We had dine nothing we had spoken about.”

Mercury Handles Sky

Phoenix recovered from a blown 17-point lead to Chicago in the second half and was led in the win by 28-year-old rookie Jovana Nogic, out of Serbia, who scored 27 points, while Alyssa Thomas and former Rutgers star out of Philadelphia Kahleah Copper each scored 17 points.

The trio combined for the game’s final seven points, four boards and a pair of steals after the Sky closed the gap to 84-83 with 2:09 left in regulation.

Natasha Mack added 10 points for the Mercury, who shot 37-for-41 from the line while the Sky were 19-for-23.

Chicago’s Rickea Jackson had 29 points, UCLA rookie Gabriela Jaquez scored 13, but Kamilla Cardoso, the former South Carolina star, was held to seven points.

The visitors lost Skylar Diggins early in the game with an eye injury in the second quarter.

“We’re trying to figure out how to win games,” said Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts, who was celebrating his 49th birthday and whose team lost in the WNBA finals to Las Vegas last season. “I thought we played a really good first half, defensively.

“Then they battled back, we weren’t as sharp, kind of relaxed a little bit, they took the lead, we stayed together, kept fighting,” he said.

Of Nogic, he said, “She’s an elite level shooter. She has fun while she’s doing it. I haven’t seen a lot of people smile when they’re shooting but I think she’s one of them.”

Looking Ahead

No games are scheduled for Saturday.

On Sunday, NBC returns to the WNBA telecast fold for the first time since early in the league’s history.

The main network and Peacock will air the Las Vegas game at Atlanta at 1:30 p.m., while at 6 p.m., the NBC Sports Network and Peacock will televise Seattle at Indiana.

League Pass has the other two games – Chicago at Minnesota at 7 p.m. and Toronto at Los Angeles at 7 p.m.

The NBC Sports Network and Peacock come back Monday night at 8 p.m. for Washington’s visit to Dallas followed at 10 p.m. on League Pass when Connecticut visits Portland.

UPSHOT Begins

Charlotte spoiled the home and season debut of Jacksonville, winning 103-95 as former North Carolina and Oregon star Deja Kelly scored 31 points for the crown on the launch night of the new women’s pro league, whose commissioner is former WNBA second president Donna Orender.

Charlotte was 23-for-34 from the line, including 10 points off 15 trips in the final period.

Jacksonville coach Jessica Bogia, a native of Philadelphia, found other reasons for her team’s defeat.

“I think the biggest thing was our rebounding, period,” she said. “We were nonexistent on the offensive glass.

“They killed us in second chance opportunity. Unfortunately, it’s an easy correctable thing, but it stinks to have done that on opening night.”

Charlotte owned the boards 42-30, getting 15 on the offensive glass for 14 second chance points and 52 in the paint.

“It didn’t turn out how we wanted to, but glad we have things that we can get in the gym and correct,” Waves guard Ariel Hearn said afterwards.

NFL Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen was among the crowd with his wife, talking with fans who came over, according to the Florida Times-Union, which covered the opener.

The publication described the environment as “electric,” the action fast paced and high scoring.

“I thought the environment was great out there,“ Bogia said. “These fans, the city of Jacksonville, showed up, they showed out. The players were extremely grateful. I know I surely was. We just want to continue this.

“Women’s Basketball is having a wave right now,” she continued. “We want to be riding that momentum, and we hope Jacksonville continues to show up and show out for us. And we promised to put a couple more wins in the column for them next time.”

Local media outlets covered the game calling the league arrival “a new era in city sports."

The Waves in the four-team league, which will add Baltimore and Nashville next season, next visits Charlotte Thursday and returns home to host Greensboro Saturday.

The games all air on the league’s YouTube channel.

In the other game, Savannah in the loss to the Groove got 13 points each from former Tennessee star Zee Spearman and Lasha Petree, with Kharyssa Richardson scoring the Steel’s first-ever points.

The two teams play again Saturday at 4 p.m.

Savannah after trailing by 12 in the third quarter went on a 12-0 run to tie it but never were able to lead in the final period.

Earlier in the week Groove coach Janice Washington ahead of the sellout at Novant Health Fieldhouse, which is also a home to the local NBA G league, said UPSHOT fills a void for women in Charlotte after the collegiate ACC tourney moved to another site.

“Being able to have your daughters and even your sons seeing that there are women playing professional sports right here in your backyard, it’s going to be awesome,” she said.