Sparks use strong fourth quarter to put game out of reach for Sun.

Uncasville, CT (July 24, 2025)- Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (3-20) fell to the Los Angeles (10-14), 101-86, in their first game back from the WNBA All-Star break. The Sun fall to 0-2 against the Sparks in 2025, with their final meeting coming on August 7 in Los Angeles. The loss marks the Sun’s first home loss to the Sparks since August 28, 2020, as Connecticut entered the game winners of seven straight against Los Angeles when playing at home.

Connecticut debuted a new starting five in the game with rookie Leïla Lacan notching her first career start in the WNBA. She was joined by Bria Hartley, Saniya Rivers, Tina Charles and Olivia Nelson-Ododa.

Tina Charles led the Sun with her fifth double-double of the season, notching 24 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game. She finished 10/18 from the field, including 1/1 from beyond the three-point arc. With two assists in the game, she is now just three assists-shy of 1,000 assists in her WNBA career.

Olivia Nelson-Ododa contributed 17 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes of action. The outing marked her 10^th game this season with 10+ points. She entered the 2025 regular season with just 10 regular season games with 10+ points in her career. Bria Hartley rounded out the Sun’s double-digit scorers with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Hartley picked up two technical fouls in tonight’s contest, leaving the game at the 6:45 mark in the third quarter.

The Sun took a 17-12 lead over the Sparks heading into the first media timeout of the contest. Connecticut enjoyed a hot start, shooting 5/5 from the field to start the game. Los Angeles scored six unanswered out of the timeout to take an 18-17 lead, but Connecticut closed the first on a 10-4 spurt to take a 27-22 lead heading into the second. Tina Charles led all scorers with nine points in the opening quarter.

Los Angeles started the second on a 10-0 run to force Connecticut into a timeout with 6:55 to play in the first half, 32-27. The Sun got on the board in the second quarter with an and-one hook shot from Tina Charles at the 5:49 mark. Los Angeles outscored Connecticut, 23-17, in the second quarter to take a one-point lead into the locker room, 45-44. Tina Charles had 14 points in the first half, while Bria Hartley added 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal to pace the Sun. 18 of the Sun’s 44 points came off of the Sparks’ 10 first-half turnovers.

The Sun trailed the Sparks by nine, 63-54, after Los Angeles began the second half on an 18-10 run. Connecticut trailed by as many as 12 in the third quarter, but were able to close it back to nine, 77-68, heading into the fourth. The Sparks’ 32 points in the third quarter tie the most the Sun have given up in a third quarter this season. Los Angeles began the fourth on an 8-4 run to force Connecticut into a timeout with 6:57 to play in the game, trailing 85-72. The Sparks went to outscore the Sun, 24-18, in the final frame to close out the 101-86 win.

The Sun shot 38.2% (29-76) while the Sparks finished 52.4% (33-63) from the floor in the game. Connecticut went 8/24 (33.3%) from beyond the three-point arc, while Los Angeles notched 12 three-point field goals, going 12/28 (42.9%) from behind the line.

Marina Mabrey made her return to the court for the Sun after missing the last nine games with a left knee injury. Mabrey played 26 minutes in the game, notching seven points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Rookie guard Migna Touré made her WNBA debut in tonight’s game. She played six minutes in the contest, going 0/2 from the field. Lindsay Allen played her 200^th career game in the WNBA this evening. She finished with two points, two rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 10 minutes off the bench.

Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 30 points, two rebounds, six assists and two steals. Dearica Hamby added a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and one steal.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back in action on Sunday, July 27 at 1:00 PM ET when they host the Golden State Valkyries at Mohegan Sun Arena.