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Douglas strong as Sun dominate Sparks

Jul 8, 2007 - 5:29 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Katie Douglas scored 28 points to lead five players in double figures as the Connecticut Sun posted a 110-89 triumph over the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday.

Los Angeles was without the services of forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin for most of the first half as she battled foul trouble. McWilliams-Franklin came over to the Sparks from Sun in the offseason and did not fare well against her former team, managing just 10 points in 22 minutes.

Douglas scored nine points as the Sun built a 35-15 advantage after the first quarter. Guard Evanthia Maltsi scored 12 points in the decisive first quarter and finished the game with 23 on 9-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-5 from the arc.

The Sparks cut the deficit to 67-60 with a 9-0 run capped by Murriel Page's two free throws with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter. But Douglas responded by nailing a 3-pointer to push the lead back to double digits.

Connecticut did not look back from that point, outscoring Los Angeles, 43-27, the rest of the way.

Forward Sidney Spencer led the Sparks with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from the arc.

The win keeps the Sun (7-11) a game clear of Washington for last place in the Eastern Conference. Connecticut, led by McWilliams-Franklin, reached the conference finals last season, falling to eventual champion Detroit.