Breanna Stewart has 26 points, Storm beat Sparks 81-69

SEATTLE – Breanna Stewart had 26 points and seven rebounds and the Seattle Storm beat the Los Angeles Sparks 81-69 on Saturday night.

Jewell Loyd added 22 points, and Sue Bird had 15 for Seattle (8-9). The Storm had lost four of five to slip to fifth in the Western Conference.

The Sparks (12-5) led 39-37 at the half, but the Storm rallied in the second half, outscoring defending champion Los Angeles by 14 over the final two quarters. Loyd made a 3-pointer with 9:15 to go in the third, sparking a 16-5 run for 53-46 lead. Stewart’s two free throws with 5:33 remaining in the fourth made it 69-59 and Seattle cruised from there.

The Storm shot 52 percent from the field and held the Sparks to 37 percent.

Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 21 points, and Candace Parker added 10.

Los Angeles has lost two straight after winning eight in a row, also falling at Minnesota on Thursday night in a rematch of the WNBA Finals.