The Los Angeles Sparks held their WNBA season opener against the Atlanta Dream in Long Beach’s very own Walter Pyramid.
Before the game, Sparks’ host DJ Malski hyped up the growing crowd by singing over the lyrics to The Dove Shack’s “Summertime in the LBC” with “Sparks win in the LBC.”
Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall WNBA draft pick and starting forward, won the tip off for the Sparks. Starting guard Layshia Clarendon got the game started with a corner three after a little over a minute of play.
While each team had solid ball handling and movement, many fouls interrupted the game’s rhythm. The Sparks were 13/22 from the line, while the Dream were 16/19.
“It was physical out there,” Clarendon said. “I think we did get to the free throw line, we missed those free throws. Difference in the game.”
Brink had a hard time staying on the floor in her professional debut. With 6:39 left in the first quarter, she was subbed out after two personal fouls for Rickea Jackson, the No. 4 overall WNBA draft pick and a forward for the Sparks. Brink had five personal fouls at the end of the fourth quarter.
However, Brink also scored 11 points in her debut, while Jackson had seven.
Atlanta center Tina Charles led the scoring in the first half with 17 points, scoring five consecutive buckets for 11 points in the second quarter alone.
Charles was one of the top scorers for Atlanta, scoring 21 on the night. Starting forward Rhyne Howard was the game’s lead scorer with 25 points.
With less than a minute to half, the game was close and the Dream were up 48-46. That was when Jackson began building her rookie highlight reel by converting a steal to pull her team even with Atlanta at 48.
“I think they’re just going to keep growing and learning,” Clarendon said of the rookie debuts. “They’re both really special in different ways. I’m glad we got both of them, and I think this is right where they’re meant to be.”
Atlanta guards Haley Jones and Allisha Gray got the visiting team off to a hot start in the second half. The two went on a 9-0 run, where Jones scored five of her 14 total points and Gray scored four of her 12 total.
The Sparks and the Dream remained even for the majority of the game. Both teams scored 26 points in the first quarter, 22 points in the second and 18 points in the third to be tied at 66 going into the final quarter.
The final quarter was where the game got away from the Sparks. The Dream began the final quarter of regulation with an 11-0 run.
Starting forward Kia Nurse brought some life back to the home team when she sank a three pointer to break this run up with 5:52 left on the clock. Nurse was the top scorer for the Sparks with 23 points.
Clarendon was the other standout for the home team, as she recorded the first triple double of her career with 11 points, ten rebounds and ten assists. Starting center Dearica Hamby had a double double with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
“Our starters just played incredibly hard,” Sparks head coach Curt Miller said. “Layshia Clarendon with a triple double tonight, came in and was great on the boards as a point guard and distributed and just played fearlessly and relentlessly. Kia Nurse with a bunch of threes tonight, Dearica Hamby with a monster double double. I thought we did a lot of really good things.”
However, these big performances from the Sparks were not enough. The Dream scored 15 more points, with the last five being on free throws, to seal the game. After Nurse’s three, the Sparks only scored 12 more points to fall behind in a 92-81 loss.
Despite the loss, Walter Pyramid was packed for the start of the WNBA season in Long Beach.
“There’s a huge energy around women’s basketball right now and the conversations and the support of all these different players,” Nurse said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of new fans too, so it’s great to have them out here.”
Long Beach residents and Cal State Long Beach workers came out to support the season opener in the Pyramid.
“It’s amazing,” said Charlenne Medina, Long Beach State’s women’s basketball athletic trainer and spectator for the night. “I mean it’s Long Beach, it’s the Walter Pyramid. Anywhere in the house where you sit, it’s a great seat.”
The Sparks will return to Long Beach on May 21 as they host the Washington Mystics. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
