Ogwumike scores 27, Los Angeles gets 1st win of season

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Friday, July 3, 2015

LOS ANGELES -- Nneka Ogwumike scored 27 points, Jantel Lavender had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Los Angeles beat the San Antonio Stars 86-81 on Thursday night to snap the Sparks' team-record seven-game losing streak.

Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter on a 15-7 run, including a 3-pointer by Temeka Johnson that gave the Sparks a 75-72 lead and put her over 2,500 points for her career. San Antonio scored the next six points for a three-point lead, but the Stars did not hit a field goal over the final 4 minutes. Los Angeles sealed it by making 4 of 4 free throws in the final 33 seconds.

Kristi Toliver added 15 points for Los Angeles (1-7) in her second game back from the EuroBasket tournament. Erin Phillips got the start for Los Angeles after missing four games with a knee injury and finished with seven points in 36 minutes.

Rookie Dearica Hamby scored a season-high 19 points for San Antonio (2-8). Sophia Young-Malcolm added 18 points, and Danielle Robinson had 12 points and 13 assists.