Dearica Hamby Goes 8-for-8 as Sparks Fall to Mercury 94-87

Dearica Hamby did not miss a shot Tuesday night, but the Los Angeles Sparks could not hold a late lead in a 94-87 loss to the Phoenix Mercury at Galen Center. Hamby made all 8 of her field-goal attempts and scored 19 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. It was her 27th game in double figures this season and her seventh with at least 19 points. Rae Burrell also scored 19 and handed out a career-high 6 assists. Burrell went 6-of-21 from the field and 0-of-8 from 3-point range, but made 7 of 8 free throws and added 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 18 points, a game-high 9 rebounds, and a team-high 8 assists. She made all 4 of her free throws. Sparks Carry Lead Into Halftime Los Angeles used a 16-5 run that started late in the first quarter and continued into the second to take a 31-24 lead. The Sparks went into halftime ahead 47-44. Phoenix answered early in the third with 10 straight points and moved in front 54-49. The teams went through 16 lead changes and 12 ties, and neither side led by more than 7. Los Angeles was still ahead 81-78 with 4:56 remaining. The Mercury finished on a 16-6 run. Ariel Atkins banked in a 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left to cut the deficit to 90-87, but Phoenix made four free throws the rest of the way. Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said Phoenix's late move to a zone slowed Los Angeles down. "I don't know that it was the last 90 seconds," Roberts said. "I think it was the last four minutes when they went to the zone and we just kind of stopped moving it. We got a little unsure. Zone offense is not rocket science. Like, you just gotta move the ball. "I thought we didn't shoot well, obviously," Roberts added. "We had 14 more shot attempts than them, but we shot poorly. And so they went to the zone because I think inside we had the advantage. And our shooting wasn't great, but I also have to — our quality of threes weren't great either, down the last four or five minutes." The Sparks attempted 74 shots to Phoenix's 60 but shot 43.2% from the field. Los Angeles made 7 of 32 3-pointers. Atkins went 2-of-7 overall, while Erica Wheeler finished 3-of-11 and made 1 of her 7 attempts from deep. Ogwumike said Phoenix adjusted to the early post touches that Los Angeles had been getting. "I mean, I think early on we were noticing that early post-ups and deep seals were there, and they adjusted with the zone along with kind of a double on the catch," Ogwumike said. "I think we realized that a little bit too late, which led to some untimely turnovers." Cameron Brink Reaches 100 Career Blocks Cameron Brink blocked 2 shots and reached 100 for her career. She moved past Mwadi Mabika into sixth on the Sparks' all-time blocks list. Brink also had 7 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes. Roberts said Los Angeles needed to make simpler reads against the zone instead of trying to force passes through it. "I think it just makes you slow down and try to move the ball," Roberts said. "It gets you out of the flow, out of the rhythm. I always think against zone, it's not — you don't run a play, you make plays. It's with spacing, being unselfish, one-dribble kickouts. The ball's got to move. The ball did not move. We were trying to throw dimes when you just need to make the easy play. But that's what zones do, you know? "And I think if we had shot better, they probably would have gotten out of it," Roberts explained. "But we didn't. And, you know, New York zones too, so we're going to see it. And we're good enough. I mean, I think it's frustrating because I know we're better than that." Los Angeles had a 44-38 advantage in points in the paint and led 11-5 in second-chance points. Jihyun Park scored 5 points in 5 minutes and finished at plus-9 with 3 fouls. Tonie Morgan played 6 minutes, scored 3 points, and made her only 3-point attempt. Phoenix Closes Behind Thomas Noemie Brochant led Phoenix with a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Kahleah Copper scored 18, and Alyssa Thomas had 16 points and 9 assists. Kelsey Plum did not play because of a left lower leg injury. The Sparks traded Plum to Phoenix a little more than a week ago. Kayla Akoa Makani was inactive with an ankle injury. Attendance was 6,247, as the Sparks hosted the game on USC's campus instead of their usual home, Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks are 12-20. Los Angeles plays at New York on Thursday at Barclays Center.