Shock Drops Close Contest to Sparks, 92-87

Guard Ivory Latta had 26 points in Tulsa loss.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:54 am

By: News On 6

Shock Drops Close Contest to Sparks, 92-87

Originally Published: Aug 14, 2010 9:21 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Oklahoma – Unfortunately for the Tulsa Shock, close doesn’t quite cut it.

Tulsa has held tight in several games, including Saturday’s 92-87 loss against the Los Angeles Sparks, but the result is still a four-game losing streak.

The Shock surrendered an early lead, going down by 10 points just six minutes into the first quarter and 13 points at the end of it.

The Sparks didn’t let up in the second quarter, as a Noelle Quinn 3-pointer at the end of the first half put Los Angeles up 54-39 at halftime.

But the Shock (5-26) would start to chip away the lead in the third quarter. Guard Ivory Latta hit back-to-back 3s with just over a minute left in the third, cutting the lead to 69-61.

Latta continued her hot streak as the Shock clawed their way back at the end of the game. With just over a minute to play, she had another six-point stretch, draining a 3 to cut the lead to six. After a Sparks turnover, Latta was fouled on a made jumper and converted the free throw to cut the lead to 85-82.

The Shock drew out the game with fouls, but it wasn’t enough as Los Angeles (12-19) swept the season series against Tulsa, 4-0.

Latta ended up with 26 points and four assists to lead the Shock. Forward Tiffany Jackson added 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Former Oklahoma State guard Andrea Riley played 12 minutes for Los Angeles and had eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Tulsa will head to Connecticut to take on the Sun at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.