Riley the spark for Shock

Ruth Riley scored 20 points, including the game-winning basket with 1 second left, to lead the Detroit Shock over the San Antonio Silver Stars 60-59 Saturday night in San Antonio.

Shannon Johnson’s turnaround shot for San Antonio near the 3-point line bounced off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded, giving the Shock (14-14) their fourth straight win.

Detroit is a half game behind Washington for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s the first time the Shock have been at .500 since they were 7-7 on July 7.

The Silver Stars took a 59-58 lead when Marie Ferdinand hit a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left. Ferdinand scored a game-high 21 points, but the Silver Stars (7-23) lost their fifth straight game for the third time this season.

Riley’s game-winner came when she rebounded Katie Smith’s missed shot on a drive into the lane with 3 seconds left. The Shock lead the league in rebounding, but were outworked 39-33 by San Antonio.

Detroit’s Cheryl Ford, leading the WNBA with 10.0 rebounds per game, was limited to three.

Sparks 69, Fever 59: Chamique Holdsclaw scored 18 points, Lisa Leslie had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Los Angeles rallied in the second half for a victory over visiting Indiana.

Mwadi Mabika added 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Sparks (13-15), who broke a three-game losing streak and moved within one game of fourth-place Phoenix for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot.

Tamika Catchings and Kelly Miller scored 10 points apiece for the Fever (16-12), who trail first-place Connecticut in the Eastern Conference by six games. Miller also had six rebounds and five assists.