Julie Allemand (No. 20) of the Los Angeles Sparks controls the ball against Jacy Sheldon (No. 4) of the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on July 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.(Photo: Ronald Martinez | Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — Despite an energized and well-paced performance on the offensive end, the Connecticut Sun came up just short in a hard-fought 92-88 road loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.
Bria Hartley led the way for the Sun (3-18) with 25 points, hitting four of her 11 attempts from beyond the arc and converting 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Saniya Rivers followed with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting clip and added six rebounds, three steals and a block in a balanced outing. The Sun shot 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range but couldn’t overcome a late fourth-quarter surge from the Sparks.
Kelsey Plum posted 23 points while Azura Stevens added 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Sparks (7-14). Rickea Jackson also chipped in 19 points, helping LA hold off a determined Sun rally in the final minutes.
Connecticut found its groove early, racing out to a 21-18 lead with under three minutes left in the first quarter thanks to Rivers’ strong start and contributions from Hartley and Jacy Sheldon. The Sun forced two turnovers in the first frame and dictated the tempo.
Taking a 30-27 lead into the second quarter, the game turned into a back-and-forth affair. Hartley buried a 3-pointer early in the second to give the Sun a 33-30 lead, but the Sparks countered behind Stevens and Jackson, who combined for 22 points in the first half. Despite Connecticut shooting over 50% shooting from the floor, the Sun led 49-47 at the half.
Rickea Jackson (No. 2) of the Los Angeles Sparks plays defense during the game against Aneesah Morrow (No. 24) of the Connecticut Sun on July 13, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Juan Ocampo | NBAE via Getty Images)
In the third, the Sparks outscored Connecticut, 22-18, as Stevens, Plum, Dearica Hamby and Rae Burrell led Los Angeles’ offensive efforts. Sheldon nailed a triple nearly halfway into the quarter as Hartley, Rivers, Leïla Lacan and Lindsay Allen kept the Sun within two possessions. Lacan provided a spark off the bench with timely playmaking and seven points, while Aneesah Morrow added muscle inside with 10 points and seven boards.
Still, LA found responses in key moments. Stevens and Plum delivered clutch shots down the stretch. Her free throws with 1:28 left in the fourth extended LA’s lead to five, and Connecticut never fully recovered.
Down 90-86 with under 40 seconds left, Hartley attempted a trey while Lacan attempted a late basket inside the final 6.1 seconds. After a defensive stop and clutch free throws for the Sparks from Stevens, Connecticut sought for a way to extend the game.
A late bucket for Morrow was all for naught as far as the victory was concerned as the Sun fell to the Sparks by four points, 88-92. Following the game, rookie sensation Rivers looked toward the positives of her team’s effort.
“I think for us, we did a great job on the offensive side. We scored 88 points tonight,” Rivers said. “Everybody was hitting shots. We were all getting everybody involved. We were playing very unselfish, so that was great. But I think on defense, we just have to slow it down. It does us no good if we’re gonna score all those baskets, but give them the same amount or more.”
Hartley echoed her teammate’s perspective with the production seen with putting points on the board for the Sun.
“Same thing. I think we’re growing, and we see improvements on the offensive end for us. So then we just gotta stick together,” Hartley said.
The loss was Connecticut’s second straight in close road contests, following Friday’s 79-65 defeat in Seattle. However, Sun head coach Rachid Meziane was encouraged by the energy and competitiveness of his squad as they head into Tuesday’s marquee matchup as they host the Indiana Fever (11-10) at TD Garden in Boston.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa (No. 10) of the Connecticut Sun drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 13, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Juan Ocampo | NBAE via Getty Images)
“We are very excited to play this game in the Garden,” Meziane said. “I think we are playing better and better. We feel confident and capable of competing against this Indy team. We’re sad about today because we lost a game that was winnable, but tomorrow everybody will be excited to play in this big arena in front of a lot of fans.”
Hartley’s veteran presence has become more prominent in recent weeks, and Meziane was quick to praise her on-court leadership.
“Bria, she’s doing good this last month. This is something we appreciate,” he said. “Now on both sides, she’s impacting the team. At the beginning, she wasn’t really ready to defend, but now she’s doing great on both ends. She’s playing her vet role. Sometimes as an offensive leader, sometimes defensively because she’s smart. Even if she’s not always physical, she uses her intelligence.”
Connecticut, which fell to 2-7 on the road, were outrebounded by the Sparks, 32-28, and finished with seven fewer assists than LA (22-15). The Sun committed 16 turnovers while Los Angeles logged 12 in Sunday’s close contest.
Despite the loss, the Sun had four players score in double digits. Sheldon provided a solid 11 points in 18 minutes, while Morrow added 10 off the bench. Charles finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes.
Los Angeles played without key contributors in Cameron Brink (knee) and Emma Cannon (coach’s decision), but still found enough from their bench to hold steady, with Burrell supplying seven points in 17 minutes. Julie Allemand added five points and six assists.
Next Sunrise
The Sun now prepare for their highly anticipated showdown against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night at TD Garden in Boston, which will be the their second consecutive year playing a WNBA game in the historic arena. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET.
“On defense, we just we gotta slow it down because it does us no good if we’re gonna score all those baskets, but we’re gonna give them the same amount or more,” Rivers said. “So we just have to really focus and emphasize on defense coming up.”
Connecticut Sun: By the Numbers
Tina Charles (No. 31) of the Connecticut Sun shoots the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 13, 2025 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Juan Ocampo | NBAE via Getty Images)
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tina Charles | 34 | 3-10 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa | 24 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Bria Hartley | 33 | 7-17 | 4-11 | 7-8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Jacy Sheldon | 18 | 5-6 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Saniya Rivers | 30 | 8-11 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 20 |
| Aneesah Morrow | 22 | 5-11 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Lindsay Allen | 9 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Leila Lacan | 31 | 3-7 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
Los Angeles Sparks: By the Numbers
| Player | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dearica Hamby | 34 | 7-13 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| Azurá Stevens | 27 | 7-17 | 5-8 | 2-4 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 21 |
| Rickea Jackson | 32 | 9-16 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 19 |
| Kelsey Plum | 34 | 8-14 | 3-7 | 4-4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| Julie Allemand | 31 | 1-5 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Sania Feagin | 6 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Julie Vanloo | 13 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rae Burrell | 17 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Sarah Ashlee Barker | 6 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
