by: Scott Mammoser
The Los Angeles Sparks had waited 13 years to host a WNBA Finals game, and their star tandem of Nneka Ogwumike and Candace Parker didn’t disappoint, leading the team to a Game Three win, 92-75, Friday over the Minnesota Lynx to put themselves in position to win the championship Sunday.
Parker, MVP from 2008 and 2013, and Ogwumike, the current MVP, crushed the Lynx, scoring 24 and 21 points, while outrebounding the entire Minnesota team in the first half and grabbing nine each for the night. Defensive Player of the Year Sylvia Fowles was limited to four boards in the game, played at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California. Minnesota, top-seeded at 28-6, had not lost by more than four points since an 87-63 disaster at Washington June 26, and the Sparks lost both their home games to the Lynx this season, each by three points.
Parker had scored only nine and 10 points in the two regular season losses and amassed only six points on 3-of-12 shooting in Game Two. Now, the former No. 1 draft pick is 40 minutes away from completing a potential Hall of Fame resume that already includes two NCAA championships and two Olympic gold medals.
“We worked too hard to get to this point, to just be there,” Parker said, referring to taking up space and not being productive. “It’s been a long time coming, we’ve said that all year, it felt to get out and to play. I’m proud of our team and our mentality, we’re going to play hard and play our game, and we’re going to live with our results. I love the support L.A. has.”
The consistent 26-year-old Ogwumike, meanwhile, was coming off a 14-point performance in Game Two that were her lowest since scoring 13 Sept. 1 in San Antonio, although she did grab 12 boards, her most since Sept. 2.
“It was pivotal for this series,” Ogwumike said of the win. “It was also pivotal to sustain it. I think we did a good job maintaining that aggression. Even though we were troubled at times tonight, we wanted to stay aggressive and maintain the lead.”
Sparks forward Essence Carson, who scored 16 in Game Three, credited having two elite post players who are able to kick the ball out to her for an open jumper. She was four-of-four from downtown Friday, and the team shot 46 percent.
“I’m proud of how we played,” Sparks coach Brian Agler said. “I’m glad we responded the way we did after Game Two. We know they’re going to give us their best on Sunday. We were aggressive, a lot of times, the offense is complemented by the defense, and that is sort of how the game started.”
Game Four will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday from the Staples Center, as the Lynx looks to force a Game Five back in Minneapolis Oct. 20 and the Sparks seek a third league title to join ones from 2001 and 2002, both won at home.
“The biggest question is if we are satisfied,” Parker added. “We had it (satisfaction) a little after Game One, they had it after Game Three, there are things we have to do differently, we have to attack, this whole series, our rebounding has been terrible, and we cleaned it up tonight.”
(*Scott Mammoser covers international and women’s sports, he has attended five Olympics and covered world championships for FIBA and the IAAF.*)
