Sparks Retire Lisa Leslie's Jersey, Loss against Fever

The Los Angeles Sparks retired Lisa Leslie's number nine jersey at the half, but they fell short in capping a memorable after they were defeated by the Indiana Fever, 82-76, Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The 6-foot-5 center Leslie, who averaged 17.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.25 blocks in her ten-year career, played only for the Sparks, leading them to two World titles. Leslie was also named the league's MVP three times in her career and bagged four Olympic Gold Medals.

Tammy Sutton-Brown led Indiana's mission to spoil Leslie's night, scoring a team-high 17 points and had 18 rebounds, while Katie Douglas chipped in 17 points and collected eight boards.

"We needed to come out with a strong presence. We just tried to exploit what they were doing against the pick-and-roll. I had the ball in my hands a lot so I just created for other players and tried to keep the defense spread." Douglas said.

Ebony Hoffman added 16 points, while Tamika Catchings added 11 points and a team-high eleven rebounds for the Fever, which are now one and a half game ahead of the Dream in the race for the top spot in East.

"Every victory is critical. Every game is must have. We don't have a playoff spot secure in the East and [the Sparks] don't have one in the West. So we're both fighting for our lives." Indiana coach Lin Dunn said.

Tina Thompson scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Delisha Milton-Jones added 16 points for the Sparks, which only had seven players during the game.

"Everybody is playing with more players than we are. It's taken its toll. If we continue to play these players 35-plus minutes night in and night out, it's going to take its toll." Said Sparks Head Coach Jennifer Gillom, who missed the services of Candace Parker, Betty Lennox, and Ticha Penicheiro because of injuries.

The Sparks are now one-game behind the 4th-place San Antonio Silver Stars in the Western Conference standings.

Complete WNBA Results (Wednesday - August 11, 2010)

• Connecticut Sun 74 - Washington Mystics 84
• Seattle Storm 80 - Atlanta Dream 70
• Minnesota Lynx 73 - San Antonio Silver Stars 66
• Phoenix Mercury 82 - Chicago Sky 91
• Indiana Fever 82 - Los Angeles Sparks 76