CHICAGO—Marina Mabrey scored 20 points, and Elizabeth Williams had 17 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night as the Chicago Sky defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 83–73 to snap a two-game losing streak.
Mabrey tied her career high of six 3-pointers to boost the Sky (3–3), which overcame a 24-point, 13-rebound effort from the Sparks’ Dearica Hamby. Los Angeles trailed by 21 points early in the third quarter but whittled the deficit to nine entering the fourth.
Hamby asserted herself on both ends of the floor to help the Sparks (2–5) close the third quarter on a 20–8 run. Los Angeles could not draw closer the rest of the way.
Fighting foul trouble, rookie Angel Reese hit two key baskets in the final two minutes, while Dana Evans had 15 points and Chennedy Carter 14 to complement a balanced Sky attack. Evans added a career-best five steals, while Williams had four blocks. Mabrey contributed seven assists and seven boards.
Kia Nurse scored 17 points for the Sparks, while rookie Rickea Jackson followed with 10.
Chicago led by as many as 20 points in the first half, and took a 49–31 lead into the break. After surrendering the first basket of the night, the Sky surged ahead on a Mabrey 3-pointer from the left wing with 9:11 left in the opening quarter and seldom looked back.
Evans (11 points), Carter (10), and Mabrey (nine) led Chicago in the first 20 minutes. The Sky notched 18 assists over that span while scoring 14 points off 11 Sparks turnovers. Every Chicago player scored.
The Sky won the rebounding battle 35–33 and shot 42.7 percent, compared to 40 percent for the Sparks.
Sparks Coach Curt Miller was absent from the bench as he prepares for his induction this weekend into the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Miller guided the Bowling Green women’s basketball program from 2001–02 to 2011–12, going 258–92. Assistant coach Nola Henry served as interim coach for Los Angeles.
