Retro Night, Modern Beatdown: Sparks Blitz Mercury in Historic First Half
Retro Night, Modern Beatdown: Sparks Blitz Mercury in Historic First Half
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury decided to throw it back to 1997 on Thursday night, rocking their glorious original uniforms and painting the old-school logo at midcourt to celebrate the WNBA's 30th year. It was a beautiful, nostalgic trip down memory lane.
The only problem? The Los Angeles Sparks brought a futuristic laser show that completely ruined the party, riding a historic second-quarter explosion to a 97-88 victory.
For a franchise as storied as Los Angeles, setting a new record is no small feat. But the Sparks did exactly that by dropping a mind-boggling 60 points in the first half—a new franchise record for halftime scoring.
The catalyst for the destruction? Dearica Hamby. She was an absolute wrecking ball inside, torturing Phoenix for 27 points and pulling down 15 rebounds like she owned the glass.
The Second-Quarter Avalanche
After a tight first quarter, the Sparks decided they were finished playing nice. They outscored the Mercury 35-19 in the second frame alone, putting on a clinic that belonged in a textbook.
The Efficiency: L.A. went 11-of-16 from the field in the quarter.
The Distance: They rained down 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Perfection: They didn't miss a single free throw.
Kelsey Plum was electric early, securing 14 of her 16 points before the break while dishing out 7 assists on the night. Meanwhile, Nneka Ogwumike added 12 points, using the evening to casually slide past the legendary Tamika Catchings into fifth place on the WNBA’s all-time career scoring list. Talk about legendary behavior.
The bench mob showed out too, with rookie Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell both chipping in 12 points to ensure the Mercury never got closer than nine points in the second half.
Phoenix Runs Out of Gas
The Mercury entered the night looking to salvage the end of their homestand, but instead finished a disappointing 1-3 at home.
Shooting Breakdown: Beyond the Arc
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Sparks (Quarters 1-3): 14 of 24 (58.3%)
Sparks (Quarter 4): 0 of 8 (0.0%)
Yes, the Sparks heavily took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, shooting a miserable 5-of-17 and finishing just one triple shy of the franchise record. But the damage had already been done.
Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas did everything she humanly could, flirting with a triple-double by putting up 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kahleah Copper fought hard for her 22 points, but the Mercury simply didn't have the defensive stops to combat L.A.'s balanced attack, which saw five different Sparks score in double figures.
Both of these squads were coming off embarrassing home losses to the expansion Toronto Tempo, but it’s safe to say Los Angeles successfully washed the taste out of their mouths for their first road win of the season. Phoenix, on the other hand, is left staring at a 2-4 record and a lot of film to review.
The jerseys looked great, Phoenix. The transition defense? Not so much.
