Sparks Win Eight of Their Last Nine Games

Los Angeles, CA (August 7, 2025) – Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (5-24) fell to the Los Angeles Sparks (14-15) at Crypto.com Arena. The Sun are now 0-3 against the Sparks during the 2025 regular season with tonight being their final meeting of the year.

Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles both finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Following Mabrey and Charles, was Bria Hartley with 16 points and three assists. Both Mabrey and Hartley shot 50% from the three-point line tonight. Rounding out the double-digit scorers was Leila Lacan with 10 points, a career and season-high seven assists, and three steals.

Both teams exchanged baskets to begin the first quarter, with the Sparks maintaining a four-point lead. Leila Lacan made a layup to draw the score within two, 12-10 and Bria Hartley made a three-pointer from Marina Mabrey to give the Sun their first lead of the game, 13-12, with 5:34 left in the game. The Sparks responded immediately with a layup but Hartley hit back with another three-pointer to make it 16-14 Sun with 4:45 left in the first. After an official timeout, the Sparks pulled away again on an 11-5 run to regain the lead, 25-21. Tina Charles responded with five points of her own, making a three-pointer and a layup to give the Sun a one-point lead, 26-25. The Sparks took a trip to the free throw line to gain the lead back with 6.3 seconds left in the quarter but Saniya Rivers made a buzzer-beating three-pointer on a Leila Lacan assist to end the first quarter with a Sun lead, 29-27.

The Sun went on a 9-1 run to start the second quarter, with Tina Charles and Saniya Rivers scoring four points each to make the score 40-30 with 6:34 left in the half. The Sparks made a three-pointer to clamp the bleeding, after which Tina Charles made a layup and was fouled, 42-33. Out of a subsequent Sparks timeout, Charles made the free-throw and then a Saniya Rivers steal turned into a Marina Mabrey layup for the largest Sun lead of the half, 45-33. The Sparks then went on a 7-3 run before the Sun called a timeout with 3:40 left in the half. Out of the timeout, the Sparks went on an 8-0 run to gain the lead back with 52.9 left in the first half, 49-48. Bria Hartley made a three-pointer to stop the bleeding and give the Sun back the lead in the next to last possession of the half, 51-49. With this effort in the first 20 minutes, the Sun set a new season-high of 51 points at the half, breaking their former record of 49 that has been attained two times this season.

The Sun began the second half on an 8-0 run to maintain the lead, 59-51. The Sparks responded with their own 9-0 run to gain the lead back, 60-59 with almost five minutes left in the third. Olivia Nelson-Ododa made a layup to end the Sun’s scoring drought, 61-60, before an official timeout. Out of the timeout, Olivia Nelson-Ododa made a free throw and then assisted in a defensive stop with a block, which turned into a Bria Hartley transition layup, 64-60 with 4:11 left in the third. The Sparks then scored nine straight points to gain the lead before a Connecticut timeout, 69-64. Olivia Nelson-Ododa made two free throws to draw it within three before the Sparks scored five straight points to make the score 74-66 with 23.2 seconds left in the third. To end the quarter, Marina Mabrey made a three-pointer to make it a two possession game, 74-69.

The fourth quarter began with five Sun points from a Marina Mabrey three-pointer and a Leila Lacan layup to tie the game at 74. The Sparks then scored five points of their own to regain the lead, 79-74. Los Angeles extended the lead on a 6-2 run until Tina Charles drew a foul and went to the line to make two, 84-78 with 6:14 left in the game. After a Sparks timeout, Marina Mabrey scored six points off of three-pointers, but Los Angeles continued the scoring spree until a Sun timeout with 2:48 left and the score at 91-84. The Sparks scored another seven points, interrupted by a Leila Lacan jump shot, before the Sun called another timeout with under two minutes left of play, 98-86. To end the game, Tina Charles went to the free throw line twice and Leila Lacan had a steal and a layup; however, the Sparks maintained the lead to end the game 102-91.

The Sun shot 41.2% (33/80) while the Sparks shot 56.5% (35/62) from the field tonight. From the three-point line, the Sun shot 44.8% (13/29) and the Sparks shot 44% (11/25). The Sun also outscored the Sparks in second-chance points (25 to 15) and fast break points (11 to 4).

All five of the Sparks’ starters scored in double figures and were led by Dearica Hamby with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Rickea Jackson followed with 20 points off of 50% shooting. Kelsey Plum had 18 points and five assists while Azura Stevens and Julie Allemand both ended the night with 10 points. Tonight, Allemand had her first career triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Off the bench, Cameron Brink had 11 points and two blocks.

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back in action on Sunday, August 10 at 9:00 PM ET when they play the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena.

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