• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Thompson stars in Sparks' victory

Jul 2, 2010 - 5:22 AM LOS ANGELES(AP) -- Tina Thompson scored 24 points and matched her season high with 10 rebounds in the Los Angeles Sparks' 73-63 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Thursday night.

Noelle Quinn added 13 points, and Ticha Penicheiro had 12 points and four assists to help the Sparks (4-11) snap a four-game losing streak and win for the first time since Candace Parker separated her left shoulder June 13.

"It's pretty huge," Thompson said. "It's been a struggle for us to do consistently whatever we say we're going to do. Now, we know how to win without Candace. We feel that we can win without Candace."

Michelle Snow led the Silver Stars (5-9) with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Becky Hammon had 15 points and four assists. San Antonio is 2-4 in its last six games.

San Antonio, which trailed by 18 points, took a 57-56 lead with 5:14 to play. But Los Angeles used a 12-0 surge to made it 68-57 with 1:47 left.

"We just dug a hole too early," Hammon said. "We made a good run but when you battle back like that, you don't have enough energy to keep that run going. It's just too hard to sustain for 20 minutes. It wasn't about the third quarter or the fourth quarter. It was about the first quarter."

Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom said her team's determination made the difference.

"I think this team just buckled down and said, 'Hey, we're not losing again,"' said Gillom, whose team twice squandered 16-point leads in losses this season. "Now, it's time for us to step up."