Sparks defeat Storm in wire-to-wire victory

SEATTLE — This is the kind of game the Sparks want to play.

The Sparks (15-25) got off to a 13-0 start against the Storm and they never looked back. There wasn't much a threat from the Storm (8-23) the entire game and the final score was 90-74. This is their first time winning consecutive games since July 10th.

Overall, the team has won three of their last four games and Nneka Ogwumike has talked about the evolution of their team in late August.

"I really do think that playing at the cadence that we've been playing in August has kind of kept us on point," Ogwumike said. "You know, every time we look, we turn around, there's another game. And there's a level of focus that you have to maintain when your schedule is pretty tight. And I think we've done a really good job of understanding, 'okay, this is who we've got today.' 'Okay, these are the main ways that we're trying to attack.' 'These are our defensive stops.' And being able to kind of attend to the game today and then lock into whatever we got tomorrow, I think, has given us a level of focus and stride that we're seeing manifest as good wins and also 40 minutes of good play and also managing runs, you know, as we kind of head into the end of this month. So I'm hoping that even with the break, that we're still able to maintain that for the last four games."

Ogwumike also talked about her return to Seattle for the second time after leaving the Storm to go back to the Sparks.

"It's why I love the game is why I play, you know, being able to be supported in that way my 15 years playing and, especially in Seattle, at a very critical point in my career, where I felt like I was able to make my own decision for where I wanted to see that part of my career go," Ogwumike said. "And they welcomed me in and embraced me. And I discovered a different level to my game and also a different level of enjoyment to the game. So I'm very grateful for my time here. I'm always a part of the Storm, no matter what. And so, I mean, it was only five minutes. I wish I could have spent more time to go around the arena and really give everybody that."

Asked about what she's going to do this season, Ogwumike responded.

"My feet in the sand," Ogwumike joked. "I think I've satisfied it for 15 years. Yeah, I think, you know, leaning into some rest is what I'm really going to be looking forward to.

"And then, of course, you know, I'm not going to disappear like the W is very much still a part of who I feel like I am," Ogwumike continued. "And I want to still contribute to it and whatever I can, whether it is letting players know that they can always reach out to me, continuing to elevate this team with the Sparks, especially as we're looking to really build for the future. So I'm looking forward to the next phase."

"We've tried," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts joked about convincing her to continue playing next season.

Ogwumike also talked about the maturity of her rook, Rae Burrell.

"One thing about her is that I think she has always had this high level of play, this level of athleticism that is just very difficult to match and to stop," Ogwumike said. "But what I'm seeing in her growth is her maturity and her understanding that with a lot of responsibility comes a lot of different type of attention. Whether it's being able to be kind of like a go-to player or also getting a lot of congestion. I think that that's only going to be something that's going to continue to level her game up. I spoke with her last game about how I was proud of how she was managing herself through the game when it didn't seem like things were going her way. 

"And our theme, at least in conversations with me and her, is like, let it come to you," Ogwumike went on. "Let the game come to you. And so it's amazing to be able to, one, witness it and also be here on the team and hopefully support her in that way. And I try my best to talk to her, too. You know, there's times when I'm like, I'll force it. I'll be like, I'm trying to get Rae Rae a shot, you know, but I love seeing that level of mental maturity that she's exuding, especially as we go down the stretch of the season."

Burrell talked about her playmaking and her decision-making.

"I'm just trying to make the right plays," Burrell said. "Like Nneka just said, I feel like that's that next level of reading the congestion and knowing that there's most likely another teammate open and still finding that balance between being aggressive and making the right play and reading what's going on. So, yeah, just continuing to try and work on my playmaking ability and just reading what the defense has given me."

Cameron Brink didn't shoot well (11 points) but did put up a career-high 15 shots (only making three of them). Still, Roberts liked what she saw.

"I think she's figuring out where she can get her shots," Roberts said. "Her ability to shoot the three, I think, has elevated her versatility. She's not afraid to shoot them, which is great. I thought she was aggressive and it wasn't a great shooting night for her. But I love the aggressiveness. And she was really good defending inside. (Dominique Malonga) is a handful. And, you know, there was a few times that Cam went head to head and got one block on her and did a great job of not fouling. So her minutes are continuing to go up, which is awesome. We just want to keep pouring into her and, you know, that she's just scratching the surface."

Ogwumike continues to have strong performances even with her career winding down; she finished with 23 points and 12 boards. Burrell continues to score in bunches as she scored 22. On the other side, Flau'jae Johnson scored 19 while Dominique Malonga finished with 17 points and 15 boards.

With the FIBA World Cup coming up, the league will take a break for the next two and a half weeks. The next game for the Sparks? September 17th when they travel to Dallas to play the playoff-bound Wings.