NEW YORK (AP) Nneka Ogwumike had 25 points and 15 rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks rallied to beat the New York Liberty 79-72 in overtime Saturday night.
Candace Parker added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks (3-0). They had won their first two games by an average of 30 points.
Trailing 60-53 midway through the final quarter, Los Angeles rallied. Ogwumike's three-point play with 54.5 seconds left and a 3-pointer by Kristi Toliver tied it at 65 with 21.5 seconds left in regulation. Tina Charles had a chance to win it for New York in regulation, but her 15-foot jumper bounced off the rim.
In overtime, Ogwumike hit a 3-pointer and then added a layup to give Los Angeles a 73-70 lead. Toliver's jumper made it a five-point game with 2 minutes left. New York couldn't get any closer.
Charles had 17 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Liberty (2-1). They were trying to go 3-0 for the first time since 2007 when they won their first five games.
Los Angeles played in Washington on Friday night, winning 97-67. The Sparks came to New York on Saturday morning and have two games left on this 10-day trip, playing in Chicago on Tuesday and Connecticut on Thursday.
Brittany Boyd had nine points for New York after getting removed from the starting lineup. Boyd did a tremendous job as a rookie providing a spark off the bench for New York before she broke her left wrist last September. She was put into the starting lineup this year before the season started.
