Sparks vs. Mystics: Erica Wheeler Scores 8 in Final 70 Seconds as Los Angeles Wins 92-87

The Washington Mystics picked Friday night to unveil their new Nike Rebel Edition uniforms, and for nearly 38 minutes they looked every bit as sharp as the outfits. Then Erica Wheeler decided the only people leaving CareFirst Arena happy would be wearing Los Angeles on their chests.

The Sparks won 92-87 on Wheeler's closing kick, eight points in the last 70 seconds of a 21-point night, and a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double from Nneka Ogwumike. They did it without Kelsey Plum, the league's leading scorer, and they did it by answering every last Washington push.

Twenty-Five in One Quarter, Twelve in the Next

Washington came out hot, with an 8-0 burst turning 11-8 into 16-11 on the way to a 25-21 lead after one. The Mystics shot 52 percent in the first half, even at 3-of-12 from three, and still somehow managed only 12 points in the second quarter. Cameron Brink made them pay, scoring 14 of her 16 before the break, including a three with 17 seconds left that gave the Sparks a 42-37 halftime lead.

The Sparks stretched it to 69-61 after three, and it was still 77-69 after a Wheeler layup with 4:38 to play. Then Washington woke up. Michaela Onyenwere's 23-foot three and Alicia Florez's 19-foot pullup made it 77-74. Shakira Austin took over after that, scoring on a turnaround and adding the free throw at 2:46, then sinking two more from the line to tie it at 81 with 2:07 left. That was a 12-4 Mystics run in about two and a half minutes, and the building was finally loud.

Ogwumike's 24-foot three off a Wheeler feed put Los Angeles back in front. Wheeler's seven-footer made it 86-81. Sonia Citron scored twice from close range to get Washington to 86-85 with 44 seconds left, Wheeler drove for a layup, and Austin's layup with 21 seconds to go made it 88-87. Wheeler then went to the line twice and hit all four, at 15.8 and 4.3 seconds, and that was that.

Wheeler's Finish, Ogwumike's History

Wheeler finished 8-of-16 with eight assists in 35 minutes, and every one of her four free throws came in the final 16 seconds. With Plum out, somebody had to run the offense and take the big shots, and Wheeler did both. Her final three trips were a drive and two visits to the line, which is about as uncomplicated as closing gets.

Ogwumike's night came with a pair of historic footnotes. Her eight field goals gave her 2,339 as a Spark, a franchise record, moving her past Lisa Leslie's 2,332. Her 11 rebounds lifted her to 3,312 in her career, sixth on the WNBA's all-time list and ahead of Leslie's 3,307. Passing Lisa Leslie on two different lists in one game is a pretty good Friday.

Dearica Hamby did a bit of everything, finishing with 14 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Brink tied her season high with 16 off the bench in only 17 minutes on 5-of-7 shooting. Chance Gray made both of her threes count and finished a team-best plus-12. Ariel Atkins fouled out but shot 4-of-5 before she did.

Austin was the best player on the floor for long stretches: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 8-of-10 from the field and 9-of-9 at the line, her fourth double-double of the season. Citron scored 15 of her 21 after halftime, shot 7-of-10 and tied her career high with eight assists. Kiki Iriafen added 13 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting. The Mystics say it was only the fourth time in franchise history that three of their players each shot 60 percent or better on at least 10 attempts in the same game. They also had a season-high 26 assists, and they still lost. Georgia Amoore's 0-of-7 night, with six of those misses from three, hurt badly. Alicia Florez had seven assists off the bench, and Angela Dugalic gave Washington six points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Turning Point: Ogwumike From 24

Washington had just wiped out an eight-point lead in 2:31, and the Sparks were on the road, without their best scorer, staring at a tie game. Ogwumike is not the first name you think of for a 24-foot three in that spot, and she finished just 1-of-3 from deep. She let it go anyway with 1:51 left. That shot gave the Sparks a lead they never lost, and Wheeler took it from there.

Stats That Matter

• 50-50: Points in the paint. Just about everything in this game was even, including the shooting, with Los Angeles at 50 percent and Washington at 51.
• 19-12: Los Angeles' edge in points off turnovers, a gap larger than the final margin.
• 66 to 61: Field-goal attempts, with the Sparks also winning the offensive glass 9-7.
• 8: Wheeler's points in the final 70 seconds.
• 5-of-22: Washington from three. The Sparks were only 6-of-20, but Ogwumike's make was the one that counted.

What It Means

Los Angeles moves to 4-3 and has won three straight, all on the road, where the Sparks are a perfect 3-0. They are 1-3 at home, which is a strange way to build a season but counts just the same. There is no rest, either, with a game at Connecticut on Saturday.

Washington falls to 3-4 and is still winless at home at 0-2. All three Mystics wins have come away from CareFirst Arena. They get a chance to fix that on Tuesday when Chicago comes to town.

One Day You're In

Project Runway had a line for nights like this one: one day you're in, the next day you're out. The Mystics were very much in at 81-all with 2:07 left, new threads and all. Two minutes later, Wheeler had walked them right off the runway. The uniforms will get plenty more chances. That fourth quarter, with Austin and Citron scoring at will, deserved a better ending.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the Washington Mystics.