Rockers Withstand Assist Mark

WNBA

Isabelle Fijalkowski had 17 points to lead the Cleveland Rockers to a 75-67 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs Wednesday night at Cleveland despite Ticha Penicheiro’s WNBA-record 16 assists.

The Rockers won their fourth straight to tie Phoenix for the league’s third-best record and keep pressure on New York and Detroit in the playoff chase.

Rockers 75, Monarchs 67

Sacramento (67) - Byears 10-17 3-3 23, Smith 7-15 0-0 14, Burgess 3-8 1-2 7, Penicheiro 1-6 1-2 4, Hardmon 3-5 0-0 6, Jordan 0-2 0-0 0, A.Barnes 3-8 0-0 7, Gordon 0-0 0-0 0, Price 0-0 0-0 0, Domond 3-6 0-0 6, Q.Barnes 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-69 5-7 67.

Cleveland (75) - Nemcova 5-9 3-4 15, Braxton 0-2 0-0 0, Fijalkowski 5-8 7-8 17, McConnell-Serio 2-8 4-5 8, Jones 4-8 2-4 10, Edwards 3-8 2-2 8, Brown 3-8 6-6 12, Johnson 1-4 0-0 3, Blodgett 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 24-57 24-29 75.

Halftime - Cleveland 35, Sacramento 26. 3-Point goals-Sacramento 2-8 (Penicheiro 1-2, A.Barnes 1-2, Smith 0-1, Hardmon 0-1, Domond 0-2), Cleveland 3-9 (Nemcova 2-2, Johnson 1-2, McConnell-Serio 0-1, Jones 0-1, Blodgett 0-1, Edwards 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Sacramento 40 (Byears, Penicheiro 6), Cleveland 39 (Fijalkowski 8). Assists-Sacramento 23 (Penicheiro 16), Cleveland 19 (Edwards 7). Total fouls-Sacramento 23, Cleveland 15. A-8,418.

Sparks 77, Mystics 68

Tamecka Dixon scored 20 points, including 10 straight for Los Angeles in a critical second-half run, to lead Los Angeles to victory over host Washington.

The Sparks snapped a two-game losing streak after going on a 16-2 run late in the second half. Washington dropped its seventh straight game.

Los Angeles (77) - Mabika 2-5 0-0 6, McGee 8-14 2-4 18, Leslie 5-17 3-6 13, Toler 5-10 0-0 11, Dixon 7-15 5-10 20, Wideman 0-1 3-4 3, Van Embricqs 1-4 0-0 2, Colleton 0-1 2-2 2, Rycraw 0-0 0-0 0, Blue 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-69 15-26 77.

Washington (68) - Moore 3-10 1-2 7, Page 4-7 0-0 8, Brown 0-0 1-4 1, McCray 6-18 6-11 18, Williams 1-4 1-4 3, Burge 6-11 2-2 14, Carter 1-5 0-0 3, Shuler 3-7 0-0 6, Chaconas 2-3 2-2 8, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-65 13-25 68.

Halftime - Washington 35, Los Angeles 30. 3-Point goals-Los Angeles 4-11 (Mabika 2-4, Toler 1-2, Dixon 1-4, Blue 0-1), Washington 3-10 (Chaconas 2-3, Carter 1-3, Moore 0-1, Williams 0-1, McCray 0-2). Fouled out-None. Rebounds-Los Angeles 55 (Leslie 13), Washington 47 (Page 10). Assists-Los Angeles 13 (Leslie 5), Washington 15 (McCray 4). Total fouls-Los Angeles 24, Washington 23. A-14,137.