WNBA: Ogwumike matches rebounding record; Sparks beat Fever 77-74
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Nneka Ogwumike out-Fevered the Indiana Fever.
The rookie forward had 22 points and 20 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Fever 77-74 on Thursday night.
Ogwumike finished with 12 offensive rebounds, tying a WNBA single-game record. Los Angeles outrebounded Indiana 47-31 and grabbed 23 offensive boards.
Los Angeles is known for being athletic, but Ogwumike was flat-out tougher than the Fever. That didn’t sit well with the toughest of Indiana’s players.
I’m sure for us that everyone has already talked about it rebounding, Fever forward Tamika Catchings said. Nneka (Ogwumike) had 20. That’s just not acceptable. It’s just frustrating going in as it’s the same thing over and over. Again, we continue to talk about rebounding, boxing out and turning the ball over. Hopefully this break will be good and everyone will regroup and re-focus for the second half of the season.
Candace Parker and Kristi Toliver each scored 19 points for the Sparks (15-6), who won their fifth straight in the final game for both teams before the Olympic break.
Indiana (10-7) had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but Catchings missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
It almost would have been a shame if the shot went in. The Fever didn’t deserve to win. Not when you’re known as one of the toughest teams in the league, yet you constantly let an opponent get second chances.
I’m very disappointed that we didn’t win this game, Indiana coach Lin Dunn said. We did everything we needed to do except rebound. Their (Los Angeles’) effort to get offensive rebounds was the difference. Rebounding is attention to detail. I told our players to come back better rebounders or don’t come back.
Catchings certainly did her part, scoring 27 points, but everyone else appeared to be already on break.
It wasn’t just the rebounding.
Briann January scored 11 points for the Fever, but she took several ill-advised long-range shots while other Fever players were successfully slashing to the basket.
Katie Douglas, Indiana’s No. 2 scorer, finished with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting. The Fever shot below 40 percent as a team.
Still, the game wasn’t decided until the final minute.
Ogwumike was called for a foul while boxing out Indiana’s Erlana Larkins with 35.5 seconds left. Larkins could have given Indiana the lead, but she missed both free throws and Los Angeles rebounded. Toliver was fouled and made both of her free throws to give the Sparks a 77-74 lead, setting up the final sequence.
Indiana led 39-30 at halftime. Catchings scored 15 points in the first half to carry an otherwise lackluster Fever offense. Indiana held Parker to six points on 3-for-9 shooting in the first half.
The Sparks rallied early in the second half. Parker’s putback cut Indiana’s lead to 41-39, and Los Angeles got as close as a point.
Two 3-pointers by January pushed Indiana’s lead back to 51-44.
Parker made a free throw, then missed the second before Ogwumike scored on a putback. Larkins was called for a technical foul, Los Angeles made the free throw, and suddenly it was a 1-point game again.
Los Angeles finally took the lead late in the third quarter, but Indiana hung tough. A pair of free throws by Catchings with 0.5 seconds left in the period gave the Fever a 57-56 lead heading into the fourth. Parker and Ogwumike each scored 10 points in the third quarter to pull Los Angeles back into the game.
Indiana certainly has plenty to consider as it enters the break.
You can’t win when you let one person get 20 rebounds, January said. It is not on one person, it is a team effort. It is one thing we will work on and get better when we come back from the break.
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