Marina Mabrey scores 26 off bench as Sun ease past Sparks

Marina Mabrey came off the bench to score a game-high 26 points Tuesday night as the visiting Connecticut Sun scored a two-game series sweep of the Los Angeles Sparks with an 86-66 victory.

Mabrey canned 9 of 13 shots, including 6 of 8 from the 3-point arc, as Connecticut upped its record to 26-10 and stayed a game behind the Minnesota Lynx for the second-best record in the WNBA. Brionna Jones added 19 points and eight rebounds, while DiJonai Carrington netted 14 points.

Alyssa Thomas came within three points of her second triple-double in as many games and fourth of the year, finishing with seven points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds. The Sun canned 53.2 percent of their shots from the floor and earned a 26-10 advantage in fastbreak points.

Four players reached double figures for Los Angeles (7-29), led by rookie Rickea Jackson with 16 points. Dearica Hamby added 12, while reserve Crystal Dangerfield scored 11 points. Azura Stevens collected 10 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

The Sparks made only 38.8 percent of their shots from the floor and committed 15 turnovers that Connecticut cashed in for 22 points.

Los Angeles got off to a fast start, using a 7-0 run to establish an 18-10 lead at the 3:15 mark of the first quarter on Odyssey Sims' layup. But Connecticut coach Stephanie White used a timeout and her team responded with six straight points to end the period.

In the second quarter, the Sun erupted for 27 points. They held the Sparks scoreless for more than a five-minute span that bridged the periods and built the advantage as high as 16 before settling for a 43-32 cushion at halftime.

Connecticut pushed the lead to as many as 19 points in the third, but Los Angeles edged within 53-43 on two foul shots by Li Yueru with 2:51 left in the quarter. However, Connecticut put it away with an 11-2 burst that DeWanna Bonner capped with two foul shots to make it 64-45 going to the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media