Jewell Loyd scored a game-high 28 points to lock up the WNBA single-season scoring record, but the visiting Los Angeles Sparks rallied from down as many as 19 points to spoil the occasion and beat the Seattle Storm 91-89 in the finale for both teams Sunday.
Loyd came into the day already holding the regular-season scoring record with 911 points, but New York’s Breanna Stewart was just a point behind. Stewart scored nine points in the Liberty’s 90-88 loss to Washington; Loyd reached that number to make history less than three minutes into Seattle’s contest.
Loyd finished the campaign with 939 points.
The Sparks’ Zia Cooke, who provided 14 points off the bench, scored on an and-one layup with 1:39 remaining that cut the deficit to one point.
Layshia Clarendon scored the go-ahead bucket with 47.2 seconds remaining off an assist from Dearica Hamby, then Hamby grabbed the last of her game-high 12 rebounds on a Loyd miss.
Los Angeles held Seattle scoreless for the final 3:18 while mounting its rally.
The Storm (11-29) got 17 of their first 21 points from Loyd and built a lead of as many as 15 points in the opening quarter.
Los Angeles (17-23) chipped away at the deficit in the middle quarters, pulling to within four points late in the third on the strength of a 9-0 run. Four different Sparks scored in that spell, indicative of their offensive balance on the day.
Five Los Angeles players finished in double figures, with Jordin Canada going for 14 points and seven assists; Clarendon added 14 points and six assists; Azura Stevens had 10 points and eight rebounds; and Nneka Ogwumike scored a team-high 22 points.
Ezi Magbegor scored 16 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists for Seattle, but missed a shot attempt to force overtime as time expired.
Kia Nurse added 18 points off the bench for Seattle and shot 3 of 7 from 3-point range, part of the Storm’s 12-of-22 effort from deep. Los Angeles shot just 5 of 18 from outside, but hit 18 of 24 from the foul line and scored 27 points off 21 Seattle turnovers.
–Field Level Media
