Fever retire Tamika Catchings' No. 24 jersey at half, then fall to Sparks

Jun 25, 2017, 05:05 am

INDIANAPOLIS -- Nneka Ogwumike scored 21 points, and the Los Angeles Sparks had a 19-0 run in the third quarter in an 84-73 victory over the Indiana Fever on Saturday night, which put a damper on Tamika Catchings' jersey retirement.

After the Fever raised Catchings' No. 24 to the rafters at Bankers Life Fieldhouse at halftime, Los Angeles stretched a 46-40 lead to 25 points by scoring 19 straight points.

Ogwumike had seven points, and Candace Parker, who had 18 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, added six points in the run that propelled the defending champions to their fifth straight win.

Chelsea Gray added 17 points for Los Angeles (9-3), which used a 21-5 run in the second quarter to erase an eight-point deficit. Parker also had seven assists, three steals and two blocks, and the Sparks shot 53 percent and went 8-of-17 from 3-point range.

Candice Dupree had 13 points and 10 in the first quarter, when Indiana (6-7) took a 23-20 lead. But the Fever couldn't get closer than 11 after L.A.'s run, despite closing the third quarter with 12 straight points and a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter.