Originally published August 31, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified August 31, 2008 at 12:22 AM

WNBA | Storm leads league after Silver Stars lose

Lisa Leslie scored four of her 18 points and had a blocked shot in the final 1:39, and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied for a 58-53 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday night.

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Lisa Leslie scored four of her 18 points and had a blocked shot in the final 1:39, and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied for a 58-53 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday night.

Candace Parker added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Sparks (17-12), who have won three consecutive games after losing six of eight.

Becky Hammon collected 17 points and seven assists for the Silver Stars (19-10), who entered the game leading the Western Conference by a half-game and fell percentage points behind the idle Storm (18-9). Seattle leads the league with a .667 winning percentage, compared with .655 for San Antonio.

The Silver Stars led 53-49 with 2:39 remaining and were outscored 9-0 down the stretch.

Of his players, Sparks coach Michael Cooper said, "They believe in our defense and that's half the battle. If they believe in it, they'll go out there and commit to it."

Other games

At Monarchs 80, Comets 65

Nicole Powell made four three-pointers and finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead Sacramento (16-13) past Houston (14-14).

Sacramento outscored Houston 30-14 in the third quarter to take control, highlighted by 13 unanswered points early in the quarter that gave it a 53-39 lead.

Kara Lawson finished with 14 points for the Monarchs, who have won nine of 10 games at home.

At Lynx 92, Mystics 78

Rookie Candice Wiggins scored 22 points to lead Minnesota (14-13) past Washington (10-18).

Wiggins, a former Stanford standout, scored 15 points in the second half and led five players in double figures for the Lynx, who have won three of their last four games.

Alana Beard scored 27 points for the Mystics, who have lost two consecutive games.

At Fever 87, Dream 72

Tamika Catchings collected 23 points and seven rebounds, and Indiana (13-15) beat expansion team Atlanta (3-26).

Katie Douglas and Tammy Sutton-Brown each had 21 points, marking the first time in franchise history Indiana had three players score 20 or more points in the same game.

Ex-Storm player Betty Lennox finished with 27 points for the Dream.

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