Ogwumike's Buzzer-Beater Sinks Liberty, Sparks Win 98-97

The Sparks trailed by 17 in the third quarter. They needed every last second to complete the comeback.

With eight seconds left and New York up two, Erica Wheeler drove into the paint and found Nneka Ogwumike spotting up beyond the arc. Ogwumike rose and fired, and the shot splashed through as the clock hit zero, sending the Crypto.com Arena crowd into chaos and lifting Los Angeles to a 98-97 win over the Liberty.

How the Comeback Happened

New York came out hot, winning the first quarter 28-18 and carrying that momentum into a 27-25 second quarter. The Liberty's lead swelled to as many as 17 points in the third quarter before the Sparks started clawing back.

Los Angeles outscored New York 27-21 in the third quarter and 28-21 in the fourth, riding a balanced scoring attack and a much stronger interior presence to chip away at the deficit. The two teams traded points down the stretch, and New York still led with seconds to play. Breanna Stewart split a pair of free throws to make it 97-95, leaving the door open just enough, and Wheeler's drive-and-kick to Ogwumike closed it for good.

Ogwumike Leads, Burrell Sparks the Bench

Nneka Ogwumike was the steadiest presence on the floor for Los Angeles, finishing with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting (61.1%) and adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. She scored efficiently inside, piling up 16 points in the paint.

Rae Burrell was the spark off the bench: 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, plus 4 assists. Erica Wheeler chipped in 15 points and 5 assists, plus the assist on the winning shot, while Dearica Hamby grabbed 8 rebounds to go with 12 points.

As a team, the Sparks shot 51.9% from the field and dominated the paint, scoring 60 of their 98 points inside. New York's bench actually outscored LA's reserves 32-25, one of the few categories where the Liberty held an edge across the box score.

Liberty's Stars Showed Up, But It Wasn't Enough

New York didn't lack for star production. Breanna Stewart recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jonquel Jones shot 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-7 from three for 18 points on a true shooting percentage north of 90%.

Pauline Astier scored 17 points off the bench on a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line and added 5 assists. Leonie Fiebich added 13 points, and Satou Sabally posted 14 points and 7 assists.

New York out-rebounded Los Angeles 48-30, but the Sparks took better care of the ball, committing just 9 turnovers to New York's 17. At the free-throw line, the Liberty had the clear edge, going 16-of-19 (84.2%) compared to the Sparks' 9-of-12 (75%), yet it still wasn't enough to offset Los Angeles' efficiency inside, where the Sparks outscored New York 60-42 in the paint.

Why It Mattered

Sunday's game doubled as part of the WNBA's 30th-season celebration, fittingly, since the Liberty and Sparks played in the league's very first game back in 1997. Nearly three decades later, the two franchises delivered a finish that needed a buzzer-beater to settle.

Ogwumike, in her 15th season and back with the Sparks after two years away, scored eight of her 24 points in the final two minutes alone. Speaking on the broadcast afterward, Wheeler didn't hesitate when asked about throwing her the ball with the game on the line.

For New York, it's a tough one to absorb. A 17-point lead slipped away despite a double-double from Stewart and a near-perfect shooting night from Jones.