Rickea Jackson’s buzzer beater lifts Sparks to biggest win of season

The Sparks picked up their fifth win in a row in an epic game against the Liberty, capped off with a Rickea Jackson game-winner.

A Rickea Jackson game-winner capped off the biggest win of the season for the Sparks, who knocked off the defending champion Liberty, 101-99, on Saturday.

After a back-and-forth fourth quarter saw the game tied at 99 apiece with five seconds remaining, Jackson converted on an acrobatic layup through contact at the buzzer to win the game.

Jackson scored 17 of her 24 points in the first quarter. It was the most points she has scored in any quarter in her young career. Kelsey Plum had 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Dearica Hamby ended with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Rae Burrell pitched in with 12 points off the bench. Azurá Stevens had 17 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. Julie Allemand dished 10 dimes.

There was a flurry of 3-pointers to start the game. Six different players from the two teams made a triple. Eventually, LA grabbed control as the Sparks went on a 13-0 run and pushed their lead to nine. New York responded well to that run by scoring six straight points.

Los Angeles was shooting at an impressive 66% from the field, while New York was struggling at 38%. Rickea and Kelsey had six 3-pointers combined for LA. Both players took over that quarter offensively.

At the end of the first, LA was up by 15.

Sabrina Ionescu opened the second quarter with a shot from way behind the arc. Rae provided her usual energy off the bench and converted on a three-point play for her first points. Ionescu kept cooking for the Liberty, scoring another four points for her team.

Rickea was having a nearly perfect half, only missing one shot while connecting on four 3-pointers, pushing her to 20 points. She was shooting 87% from the field.

The trio of Rickea, Kelsey, and Dearica were in double-digits in scoring. New York scored five points as the quarter was winding down to try to build some momentum, but the Sparks held on for a 13-point lead at halftime.

The second half started in favor of New York as they were able to cut the lead down to single digits. Azurá scored four points after having zero points in the first half. An 11-3 Liberty scoring run made it a fragile seven-point lead for the Sparks.

Both teams were fighting hard and battling through a lot of contact. With 2:11 left in the quarter, the Sparks were nursing a seven-point lead. Rickea ignited for four much-needed points, continuing her dominant performance.

Despite the Liberty outscoring LA 24 to 16 in the third, Los Angeles managed to stay up by five. Both teams were at an identical 34 points in the paint.

Rae opened the final frame with a big-time 3-pointer. The fourth quarter turned into an epic battle between both teams. At the midway point, the Sparks were holding onto a six-point lead. Azurá continued to come up huge for LA, adding another four points, making her the fifth Spark in double-digits.

Los Angeles’ lead was just two after four points from Ionescu. New York had picked up their defensive play, making the Sparks have to work much harder for their shots. Players were trading baskets back and forth.

After a three-point play from Ionescu, it was a tied game. Once again, both teams traded big shot after big shot. Azurá converted on a huge layup to put the Sparks up by two with 1:03 left in the game. Ionescu answered with a jumpshot to tie the game.

With 5.9 seconds left, Rickea threw up an acrobatic shot that went in at the buzzer to win the game.

Key Takeaways:

Rickea and Kelsey knocking down six 3-pointers combined in the first quarter was the sign that this was going to be a win.

Azurá is the Most Improved Player this season. What a performance from her again, especially coming up clutch. She is always a major factor in wins.

The Sparks’ next game will be Tuesday against the Las Vegas Aces at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.