Ogwumike scores 23 to help Sparks hold off Mercury for 3rd straight win

Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points and nine rebounds, Liz Cambage added 19 points and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 78-75 on Monday night.

Cambage adds 19 points, 7 rebounds to help Los Angeles claim 78-75 victory

The Associated Press · Posted: Jul 04, 2022 9:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 5, 2022

Sparks' Nneka Ogwumike, seen during a game last summer, scored 23 points and collected nine rebounds to help her team take down the Phoenix Mercury 78-75 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points and nine rebounds, Liz Cambage added 19 points and seven rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 78-75 on Monday night.

Los Angeles (10-11) has won three straight, including an 84-74 victory over New York on Sunday.

Back-to-back dominant performance by <a href="https://twitter.com/nnekaogwumike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nnekaogwumike</a> 👏<br><br>🔥 23 PTS <br>🔥 9 REB<br>🔥 3 AST <a href="https://t.co/WIxeAQ3dVn">pic.twitter.com/WIxeAQ3dVn</a>
—@WNBA

Jordin Canada made two free throws with 35.3 seconds left to give Los Angeles a two-possession lead. Diana Taurasi made two free throws at the other end after being fouled on a drive into the lane.

Ogwumike had a baseline jumper roll out with 9.6 seconds left and Taurasi failed to hit the rim on a 3-point try for Phoenix. But Ogwumike grabbed the rebound and made 1 of 2 free throws for a three-point lead. Skylar Diggins-Smith was off the mark on a heave from midcourt at the buzzer.