Leslie and Sparks Show Toughness in Second Half and Rout Mercury

The Sparks and the Phoenix Mercury traded offensive collapses at the Forum Saturday, and Lisa Leslie and Bridget Pettis almost traded punches.

The Mercury’s collapse was longer and more painful.

After a 10-minute first-half stretch when they failed to score a basket, the Sparks dominated the second half to win, 76-57, before an announced 6,349.

The Sparks improved to 4-0 and are the WNBA’s only undefeated team.

With the Sparks holding a 66-47 lead with 4:09 left to play, Leslie, who finished 16 points and 10 rebounds), took a defensive rebound away from the Mercury’s 6-foot-8 Maria Stepanova and made an outlet pass. Next, spectators were shocked to see the 5-9 Pettis advancing on Leslie, fists clenched and chest-high.

Leslie backstepped across the court, also with fists clenched.

No punch was thrown, however, although officials levied double technical fouls.

“I don’t know what her problem was,” Leslie said afterward. “I made an outlet pass and she bumped me so I shoved her. When I saw her fists, I just backed up, I’d learned my lesson.”

She referred to the Western Conference finals title game last season, when she and Houston’s Tina Thompson traded punches in a wild melee.

For Spark Coach Michael Cooper, it was another win achieved through defensive intensity.

“We had problems with that diamond-and-one zone they switched to late in the first half, when we went 10 minutes without a basket,” he said.

“But our defense had built up such a cushion earlier, they only got up on us by a few points,” he said.

The Sparks had an early 22-11 lead, but when Mercury Coach Cheryl Miller switched her team to the diamond-and-one, her offense put together a 10-2 run but never could manage better than a three-point lead. Phoenix led at the break, 31-30.

The Sparks, who outscored the Mercury, 46-26, in the second half, start it off with a 17-2 run to go up 47-35. They twice had 21-point leads in the late going.

Key to victory, Cooper told his players all week, was shutting down two of the most productive Mercury shooters, Tonya Edwards and Brandy Reed. He assigned Mwadi Mabika to guard Reed, who came in averaging 22.8 points. To choke down Tonya Edwards (10.2), he picked Tamecka Dixon.

Reed finished with six points and only got off six shots in 19 minutes and made but one. Edwards had three points. And Phoenix shot just 27.4% to Los Angeles’ 51.9%.

“Coop really challenged us in practice and we took it personally,” Dixon said.

“Phoenix likes to blow by you from the perimeter and we were determined to not let it happen. We made sure they didn’t drive the baseline or go across the middle.”

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Clarisse Machanguana, the Sparks’ backup center who has been the subject of trade rumors dating to last summer, may be moved soon. One report has the 6-5 Machanguana going to Minnesota for point guard Sonja Tate, who would give Los Angeles needed backup help at point guard. Starter Ukari Figgs has a troublesome back. Another report has Machanguana going to Charlotte for a high draft pick in next year’s rich college draft. . . . The Sparks waived 6-4 Marte Alexander Friday when her two weeks on the injury list were up but would try to re-acquire her if Machanguana is traded for a draft choice. . . . The Mercury, after winning its first appearance at the Forum in 1997, has now lost six in a row there. . . . The game marked the return of former Spark coach Linda Sharp to the Forum. Sharp, the Sparks’ first coach, is now an assistant coach for the Mercury.