LOS ANGELES — Sparks guard Kelsey Plum played with a vengeance and scored a game-high 27 points against her former Las Vegas Aces team.
However, the Sparks were overmatched in the second half and trailed by 32 points in the fourth quarter of a 105-78 loss against the Aces at Crypto.com Arena Sunday.
Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in her first game back since playing the past two seasons with Seattle. Forward Dearica Hamby scored 12 points.
The Sparks, who dropped to 0-1, nearly overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half and only trailed by one, 42-41, at halftime.
The Aces (1-1) had five players reach double figures in the scoring column: Chennedy Carter (22), Jackie Young (20), A’ja Wilson (19), Chelsea Gray (16), NaLyssa Smith (12). They began the second half on a 12-4 run and reestablished a 54-45 advantage with 6:07 left in the third quarter.
From then on, it was all Las Vegas, which won the quarter by a 33-18 margin. The Sparks trailed 75-59 heading into the fourth.
The Aces closed the first quarter on a 14-0 run and established a 29-14 advantage going into the second quarter. Wilson paced her team with eight points in the first.
The Sparks, who trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, chipped away at the defending champs’ early lead.
Ogwumike stormed down the lane for a wide-open layup and narrowed it 39-34 with 2:06 left in the first half. The 15-year veteran drained a 3-pointer, which cut it to 41-39 with 58 seconds left before halftime. Ogwumike’s reverse layup cut it 42-41 with 15.4 remaining in the first half.
Sparks guard Erica Wheeler’s potential buzzer-beater felt short, and the Sparks trailed 42-41 at halftime.
Win or lose, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts had some non-negotiables she wanted to see before the game.
“I want us to play with pace,” Roberts said. “Play with space. Early in the season, you’re still trying to forge your identity as a team. While you’re playing opponents like Las Vegas, who require a really good scout and attention to detail, at this point in the season, you’ve still got to not lose focus on what you’re trying to do as a team and build.”
Meanwhile, Kate Martin was signed by the Sparks to a development contract on Sunday after being waived by the Golden State Valkyries a few days prior.
Martin, who played for Iowa alongside Caitlin Clark, said she chose to sign with Sparks because of how they approached her.
“I chose L.A. because of the way they approached me,” Martin said. “They wanted me here.”
The Sparks debuted three new members of the starting lineup against the Aces, including veteran defensive-minded guard Ariel Atkins, who finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Just some energy and some defensive prowess and a lot of shooting on the outside is what I really want to bring,” Atkins said.
Atkins knows her role on the Sparks after being acquired via a trade for Rickea Jackson last month. She also revealed she never thought she would play for a team other than the Washington Mystics, where she won the 2019 WNBA championship after being drafted in 2018.
“It’s absolutely insane to even think that this is my third team,” Atkins continued. “I feel like at one point I never knew if I would ever play in LA, so it’s pretty dope to be here and be in these colors.”
Meanwhile, the Aces bounced back after Saturday’s 99-66 home loss to Phoenix on championship ring night.
“Every season you start at the bottom of the hill,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “You don’t get to start on the mountain top.”