The San Antonio Silver Stars defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 69-52 on Saturday night in front of 11,395 fans at SBC Center.
The Silver Stars (10-19) jumped out to a huge 18-0 lead as Los Angeles missed their first 18 field goal attempts. San Antonio dominated the inside with 14 of their 18 points coming in the paint. Adrienne Goodson had seven rebounds for the Silver Stars in the first 12 minutes of the contest.
The Sparks first points finally came on two free-throws from Nikki Teasley with 9:00 left in the first half. Los Angeles followed the Silver Stars 18-0 run with a 14-0 run of their own. Tausha Mills hit a jumper at the 4:03 left in the half to get the Silver Stars back on the scoreboard. The team regained their composure and led 26-16 going into the lockerroom at the half.
"We knew they are a team of runs, we've seen the pattern" said Silver Stars' head coach Shell Dailey. "They're talented enough to come back and we told the team to expect it. This time they hung in there."
The 16 points in the stanza was a franchise-low for the Sparks. Los Angeles was again without the services of injured All-Star Lisa Leslie, as well as forward DeLisha Milton. The Sparks shot only 17.2% (5-for-29) from the field in the first half. The team has lost five of their last six contests and fell to 19-10 on the season.
In the second half, the Silver Stars began to hit their outside shots, nailing five-of-eight three-pointers. Point guard Jennifer Azzi hit three shots from beyond the arc as the Silver Stars led by as many as 24 points.
The Silver Stars had lost their last three games before coming home to meet the Sparks. San Antonio is 8-7 at the SBC Center this season, while only winning two of 14 games on the road.
"Playing on the road is tough. Last year we had the characteristics to get away games. We're learning right now," said Goodson. "It's hard to play against another team and their fans. It's good to be home. We appreciate the fans and the crowds."
Goodson finished the game with a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds. Guard Marie Ferdinand scored 13 for the Silver Stars.
Tamecka Dixon had 15 points for the Sparks, while Jennifer Gillom was in double-figures with 12.
The Silver Stars head out on the road to take on the Storm on Tuesday night. Last time the two teams met in Seattle, the Storm demolished the Silver Stars 93-53 on June 22.
"I don't remember (the forty-point loss). I try to forget the bad things," said center Margo Dydek. "It's a new game and Seattle is a much better team now than even L.A. It will be a difficult game, but we have nothing to lose."
San Antonio has five games remaining on the season with their next home game coming Saturday August 16 against the Minnesota Lynx at 7:30 p.m. at the SBC Center.
