Los Angeles Sparks first-year head coach Jennifer Gillom wasn’t concerned about the team’s preseason loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.
The Silver Stars defeated the Sparks, 86-77, in front of 1,521 fans as Long Beach State senior Karina Figueroa made her return to the Pyramid floor in an attempt to make the Sparks’ regular season roster.
Figueroa was welcomed by roaring cheers when she checked into the game for the first time in the second quarter. The Corona native was known for her scoring prowess during her collegiate career, but was held scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting to go along with two rebounds.
Figueroa did, however, play commendable defense while she was on the floor, causing one San Antonio turnover.
“Unfortunately, I missed a few shots,” Figueroa said. “Trust me, I wanted to make them.”
Gillom said the team was holding back just a bit, considering it was an exhibition.
“You hate losing games,” Gillom said. “But, you have to realize that this is an exhibition game, and you can’t show a lot of stuff that you want to do in order to come back.”
It was an evenly-matched contest for three quarters and most of the fourth, until the Silver Stars pulled ahead during the final minutes.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 17-10 lead in the first quarter before San Antonio went on a 15-8 run, capped off by a 3-pointer by Helen Darling at the buzzer, to knot things up at 25. The Sparks and Silver Stars headed into the break tied, 43-43.
Los Angeles and San Antonio traded baskets throughout the third, with the Silver Stars edging the Sparks in field goals made. San Antonio shot slightly better from the field at 47.1 percent (8-of-17) than the Sparks’ 35.3 percent (6-of-17), to take a three-point lead into the final quarter.
Gillom said that the team didn’t execute as well sometimes on offense, but added that she wasn’t too worried because there are players who are still learning the plays. Not to mention 2008 WNBA Most Valuable Player Candace Parker wasn’t suited up.
“These are some things that we wanted to see, what we needed to work on,” Gillom said. “We have a week to clean it up and get Candace back in the lineup, which is definitely going to help us to get our game plan together and put everything in that we need to put in.”
Ultimately, it was the 13 fouls committed during the final 10 minutes that cost the Sparks the game as San Antonio put Los Angeles away on free throws. The Silver Stars made 16-of-22 foul shots in the fourth quarter, compared to the Sparks’ 4-of-6 effort.
“In the fourth quarter, I felt like all they did was shoot free throws,” guard Ticha Penicheiro said. “It was really lopsided and we couldn’t get anything going on the break because we kept fouling and putting them on the line.
“Bottom line, it’s a preseason game. Coach is looking at players and we’re all just trying to gel, so we can’t really make a big deal out of winning or losing and just continue to take steps forward.”
San Antonio’s Belinda Snell led all scorers with 17 points, while Delisha Milton-Jones scored 13 to lead the Sparks.
According to Gillom, the organization should reach a decision on which players to keep on the regular season roster over the next few days, and Figueroa is focused on making the cut.
“I’m trying to be a team player and do the little things,” Figueroa said. “Whether it’s boxing out, even though I might not get the rebound, but getting in the right position, fighting through screens and getting loose balls.”
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