Kelsey Plum Leads Sparks to 99-95 Win Over Toronto Tempo

Kelsey Plum scored 18 of her 25 points in the second half as the Los Angeles Sparks held off the Toronto Tempo 99-95 on Friday night to earn their first win of the season. Los Angeles and Toronto are scheduled to meet again on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Toronto, an expansion team, led much of the contest’s momentum at different points, including a late push after trailing by as many as 20 in the second half. The Tempo closed to within two points with 2:23 remaining, and after exchanging points, Toronto got within three with just under a minute to play. Plum then made two free throws with 13.8 seconds left, and Cameron Brink added two more with 8.9 seconds remaining to restore Los Angeles’ lead and keep Toronto from completing the comeback.

Nneka Ogwumike had a major hand in the Sparks’ finish, combining with Plum on a six-point stretch that helped swing the end of the game. Ogwumike finished with 20 points for Los Angeles. Dearica Hamby added 19, Rae Burrell scored 13, and Eric Wheeler scored 10. Cameron Brink’s late free throws and points also proved important.

For Toronto, Brittney Sykes scored 27 points. Laura Juskaite added 16 off the bench and Nyara Sabally contributed 14. Kiki...