Nneka Ogwumike leads LA Sparks to victory over Sun

LOS ANGELES >> Nneka Ogwumike had 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, and Candace Parker scored on back-to-back possessions late to help the Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 80-73 on Sunday at Staples Center.

The win moves the Sparks (13-1) into first place in the Weste Conference, a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Lynx (13-2), who lost to the Washington Mystics 87-63. The Sparks handed the Lynx their first loss of the season 94-76 on Friday night.

Parker and Essence Carson scored 10 points apiece for the Sparks on Sunday.

A 3-pointer by Alex Bentley pulled Connecticut (3-12) within five with 2:12 to play, but Parker answered with two baskets to ignite a 7-2 spurt that gave the Sparks an 80-70 lead with 32 seconds left.

The Sparks trailed by two at halftime but opened the third with a 9-0 run — including a pair of 3-pointers by Carson — to take the lead for good. The Sparks shot 55.6 percent (10 of 18), while limiting the Sun to 5-of-16 shooting (31.2 percent) in the quarter.

Chiney Ogwumike, Nneka’s younger sister, led 11th-ranked Connecticut with 16 points. Alyssa Thomas added 11 points and nine rebounds and tied her career high with seven assists.

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