Liberty lose to Sparks at buzzer after squandering 17-point third-quarter lead
LOS ANGELES — The Liberty fell to the Sparks 98-97 Sunday, and they have no one to blame but themselves.The Liberty squandered a 17-point third-quarter lead.They got complacent and it resulted in them fighting with the Sparks down the stretch, only to lose on Nneka Ogwumike’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.It was Kelsey Plum and Rae Burrell who led the Sparks’ charge back into the game.
The rest of Los Angeles just followed suit, including the fans who came alive during the Sparks rally.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.
Erica Wheeler drained a game-tying 3 with 5:31 left in the fourth quarter, sending Crypto.com Arena into mania.New York and Los Angeles exchanged baskets for the rest of the game.In crunch time, coach Chris DeMarco entrusted Pauline Astier in the lineup over Sabrina Ionescu, who looked out of sorts and was unusually quiet on offense.Astier scored five of her 17 points in the final two minutes.The Sparks forced the Liberty into a shot clock violation in a two-point game with 33.3 seconds left — a 9.3-second differential in the shot clock.Plum’s 3-point attempt rolled off the rim.Breanna Stewart secured the rebound and was immediately fouled.She hit the back of the rim on her first free throw and drained the second to give the Liberty a 3-point lead.New York needed a stop.Astier blocked Wheeler’s 3-point attempt.
The Sparks corralled the ball and Stewart fouled Burrell, who drained her free throws to give L.A.a one-point lead.On the other end, Stewart, again, split a pair of free throws with 8.6 seconds left to give the Liberty a two-point lead, leading to Ogwumike’s game-winner.
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