ATLANTA -- This seems to be the theme for the Sparks in this road trip. Keep up with the opponent before the game gets away in the fourth.
The Sparks led, 66-64, with seven minutes left in the contest. And then the Dream caught fire, only missing two of their final 11 shots as they scored 11 in a row (and a 23-5 overall run) to put away the Sparks. The final score was 87-74.
Los Angeles went cold at the worst time as they only scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. They played well for the most part as they only turned the ball over 12 times and were keeping up with the Dream on the boards for a while (Atlanta ended with a +5 advantage).
"Just could not find any rhythm offensively," Coach Curt Miller said. "Felt like their physicality bothered us. We were struggling around the rim to get any kind of rhythm going and it got away with us in the fourth quarter."
Rickea Jackson agreed with that sentiment.
"I just feel like we need to execute in the fourth quarter," Jackson said. "When games get tight, we tend to not do the little things that kid of got us the lead. So I felt like we just need to continue to stay together and stay connected on both ends of the floor."
Jackson continued on about wanting to become better as a defender.
"Again, I just want to win," Jackson said. "I feel like I've been getting a little more acclimated with the physicality. I know if I'm not getting physical back, I'm sitting on the bench so I need to be physical first with them and let them know that they just can't bully me just because I'm a rookie.
"Another thing is that I want to be a defensive presence for this team. I feel like that's something I've been working on, taking it to the chin. Before our first game, Curt (Miller) was just like 'I'm gonna make you a better defensive player.' And I feel like when he said that, that just meant a lot to me because that just makes me want to go hard for him, especially on the defensive end."
Atlanta had four players score in double figures, led by Allisha Gray with 25 (10 in the fourth) and Tina Charles with 20. They did a great job making Rhyne Howard work hard as she went 4 for 15 (.267) on her way to 16 points. Aerial Powers was big off the bench with 13.
As for the Sparks, both Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink scored 16 each. Aari McDonald, who was going against her old team, scored double figures off the bench for the fourth game in a row with 14. Dearica Hamby missed a double-double with 10 points and eight boards.
The Sparks are now 4-10 overall and 0-3 on this road trip. And it's not going to get any easier as they take on the nearly-undefeated Connecticut Sun team on Tuesday night.