Sky uses fourth-quarter recovery to overtake Sparks

(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Lindsay Allen had 16 points while freshman Kamilla Cardoso added 15 with 14 rebounds as the Chicago Sky used a fourth-quarter comeback to win 90-86 against the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday.

Fellow rookie Angel Reese added 14 points with 11 rebounds and Rachel Banham also scored 14 points for the Sky (11-15), who rebounded from their nasty 85-65 home loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday by outscoring the Sparks (6-20) 26-12 in the fourth quarter.

The Sky trailed 74-64 after three quarters, but scored 15 of the first 17 points in the fourth quarter, including six from Cardoso, to take a 79-76 lead. Stephanie Talbot’s 3-pointer for Los Angeles tied the score at 79-79, but Reese’s free throw put Chicago ahead for good.

Kia Nurse scored 16 points for the Sparks and her free throw cut the deficit to 84-82 for the hosts with 3:10 left. However, Allen scored a basket and assisted Reese on a layup, giving the Sky a six-point lead.

Chicago shot 48.6 percent and held Los Angeles to 39.2 percent. Talbot and rookie Rickea Jackson each scored 13 points for the Sparks, who have lost five straight home games, beating the New York Liberty 103-68 on Thursday.

Los Angeles led 46-42 at halftime and extended that lead to 58-51 after Jackson scored five straight points, but the Sky used a 9-3 surge later in the period to cut the deficit to 61-60.

But the Sparks scored 13 of the final 17 points of the quarter, including the final eight, six of which came from Talbot.

The Sky made 10 of 20 shots in the first quarter, while the Sparks converted 52.6 percent of their shots in that period, which ended with a 26-25 lead for the visitors.

Although Los Angeles finished the first half shooting 39 percent, Nurse and Crystal Dangerfield each hit two three-pointers in the second quarter. The Sparks scored eight of the final 12 points of the first half, with Dangerfield’s three-pointer in the final seconds being the highlight, and enjoyed a four-point lead at halftime.

–Field level media