Marina Mabrey scored 27 points and Teaira McCowan recorded 24 points and eight rebounds as the Dallas Wings closed the regular season in style with a dominating 116-88 victory over the host Los Angeles Sparks.
Mabrey sank five 3-pointers while making 10 of 13 overall shots and McCowan hit 9 of 13 for Dallas, which made a stellar 65.6 percent of its field goal attempts. Tyasha Harris made 6 of 7 shots, matched her career best of 18 points and set a career best of 11 assists for the Wings.
Kayla Thornton added 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting and Allisha Gray had 14 points for the Wings (18-18), who won for the sixth time in eight games. Dallas made 11 of 22 from 3-point range while establishing a season high for points.
The Wings turned on the heat by outscoring the Sparks 41-9 in the second quarter, when they made all 14 of their field goal attempts.
Brittney Sykes scored a career-best 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting for Los Angeles (13-23), which lost for the ninth time in 10 games. Chennedy Carter added 13 points and Kianna Smith had 10 for the Sparks.
The Sparks missed the playoffs for a second straight season for only the second time in the club’s 26-season history. Los Angeles played without seven-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike (ankle), who was injured Thursday when the Sparks were eliminated from playoff consideration by the Connecticut Sun.
Dallas thrived without two-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale for the fourth straight game after she recently underwent iliac crest core muscle avulsion repair. The iliac crest is located in the pelvis near the hip and connects to multiple core muscles.
Ogunbowale will miss the Wings’ first-round playoff series against Connecticut.
Los Angeles shot 44.3 percent from the field, including 8 of 24 from behind the arc. The Sparks allowed more than 100 points for the fifth time this season.
The Wings led 25-20 after one quarter before Jordin Canada opened the second period with a basket for the Sparks.
But Dallas scored the next 12 points as part of a 34-4 burst to pull away. Later in the quarter, the Wings ripped off 18 consecutive points to take a 59-26 lead.
At halftime, Dallas led 66-29. The Wings shot 74.2 percent (23 of 31) in the half.
Dallas went on a 17-5 burst in the third quarter to push the lead to 40 for the first time at 90-50 with 41.9 seconds left. The Wings led 92-56 entering the final stanza.
–Field Level Media
