Cooper Continues To Fly As Comets Bury Sparks

WNBA

WNBA leading scorer Cynthia Cooper scored 34 points Friday night to lead the Houston Comets to an 81-57 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Tina Thompson scored six and Cooper five as Houston’s 19-0 run turned a 40-36 deficit into a 55-40 lead with 13:38 to play. Los Angeles guard Mwadi Mabika ended the spurt with a basket, but the Comets responded with a 12-2 run and led by at least 18 for the remainder of the game.

Thompson added 14 and Tammy Jackson 13 as Houston (11-6) won for the fourth time in five games.

Penny Toler scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half as Los Angeles’ season-high three game-winning streak ended. Lisa Leslie added 11 points for the Sparks (8-11).

Cooper has scored 30 or more points in four of her last five games and is the only WNBA player to score 30 or more in a game. The 34 points were 10 off her league-record 44 set July 25 and increased her average to 21.9 points per game. The former Southern Cal standout is averaging 32.2 points over her last five games.

Comets 81, Sparks 57

At Los Angeles

Houston (81) - Arcain 2-10 4-4 8, Thompson 4-12 6-6 14, Jackson 5-7 3-3 13, Cooper 9-19 11-12 34, Woosley 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 2-3 0-0 4, Perrot 1-7 3-4 6, Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Pollini 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-61 27-29 81.

Los Angeles (57) - Haixia 3-6 0-0 6, Colleton 2-7 0-0 4, Leslie 4-9 3-5 11, Toler 6-14 5-5 17, Dixon 2-6 2-2 6, Mabika 1-2 0-0 2, Burge 1-3 1-2 3, Burgess 1-2 2-2 4, Wideman 1-4 2-4 4, Charles 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 15-20 57.

Houston 36 45 - 81

Los Angeles 38 19 - 57

3-Point goals-Houston 6-19 (Cooper 5-9, Perrot 1-5, Arcain 0-1, Woosley 0-1, Harris 0-1, Thompson 0-2), Los Angeles 0-9 (Leslie 0-1, Burge 0-1, Dixon 0-1, Toler 0-2, Colleton 0-2, Wideman 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Houston 45 (Thompson 9), Los Angeles 33 (Leslie 6). Assists-Houston 13 (Cooper 5), Los Angeles 9 (Toler 3). Total fouls-Houston 20, Los Angeles 24. A-8,009.

Sting 85, Monarchs 61

Charlotte, N.C.

Rhonda Mapp had 20 points and eight rebounds as Charlotte beat Sacramento.

Andrea Stinson and Vicky Bullet added 16 points apiece for Charlotte.

Ruthie Bolton-Holifield had 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds for Sacramento (5-12).

Mapp’s basket 4-1/2 minutes into the game broke a 6-6 tie and allowed the Sting (9-7) to go ahead for good.

Charlotte, getting its eighth win at home, led by as many as 15 points in the first half after Nicole Levesque hit a 3-pointer to make it 27-12. The Sting took an 11-point halftime lead.

The Monarchs cut the lead to seven points 1:03 into the second half on Pam McGee’s layup, but Mapp responded with a layup and Levesque hit an 18-footer for Charlotte. Sacramento reduced their deficit to nine after Bolton-Holifield made two free throws. Danielle Vigilione cut the lead again to nine at 49-40, 1-1/2 minutes later on a 3-pointer, but the Monarchs could not get any closer.

The Sting led by 26 with 3:23 left.

Sacramento (61) - Gordon 5-10 2-3 12, Byears 1-4 0-0 2, McGee 3-5 3-4 9, Bolton-Holifield 6-15 3-4 18, Tremitiere 3-7 4-5 10, Abraham 1-3 0-0 2, Clark 0-1 1-2 1, Graves 1-4 2-2 4, Viglione 1-4 0-0 3, Savasta 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-55 15-20 61.

Charlotte (85) - Bullett 6-9 4-6 16, Congreaves 3-6 3-5 10, Mapp 7-11 6-7 20, Levesque 5-11 0-0 12, Stinson 8-20 0-1 16, Hopson-Shelton 1-3 0-0 2, Suber 0-1 0-0 0, Moore 0-4 1-2 1, Manning 3-5 2-5 8, Artis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-71 16-26 85.

Sacramento 31 30 - 61

Charlotte 42 43 - 85

3-Point goals-Sacramento 4-9 (Bolton-Holifield 3-6, Viglione 1-1, Gordon 0-1, Savasta 0-1), Charlotte 3-14 (Levesque 2-5, Congreaves 1-2, Bullett 0-1, Mapp 0-1, Stinson 0-1, Suber 0-1, Moore 0-3). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Sacramento 41 (Bolton-Holifield 9), New York 46 (Mapp 8). Assists-Sacramento 8 (Tremitiere 4), Charlotte 25 (Stinson 7). Total fouls-Sacramento 21, Charlotte 13. A-6,871.