When Liz Cambage tied the game with a turnaround 9-footer and headed to the free-throw line with 15.1 seconds left in the Sparks’ home opener against the Minnesota Lynx, it appeared she may be the hero in her Crypto.com Arena debut. The 6-foot-8 Aussie missed the freebie, however, to keep the score deadlocked.

On the ensuing possession, Kayle McBride completed a three-point play with 2.1 seconds remaining after getting fouled on a reverse layup. It proved to be the game-winner, as Jordin Canada missed a desperation 3-pointer with time expiring and the Sparks lost their third straight game, 87-84.

McBride, who landed in Los Angeles from Turkey around 2 p.m. on Monday, poured in a game-high 24 points for the Lynx, hitting four of seven 3-pointers she attempted. Fifteen of the guard’s points came in the first quarter, including nine in the final 50.1 seconds of the frame.

Sparks guard Katie Lou Samuelson also came a long way to make her 2022 WNBA season debut Tuesday night, enduring an eight-hour bus ride Friday and a 12-plus-hour flight on Saturday to return from overseas. After winning the Spanish league championship last Thursday, Samuelson tied her career high with three 3-pointers made for Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The former fourth overall draft pick first entered the game at the 5:33 mark of the first quarter, promptly nailing back-to-back 3s and drawing an offensive foul by taking an elbow to her chin.

“For them to make that commitment and play right off the plane, that’s remarkable,” Nneka Ogwumike said of McBride and Samuelson. “And not just play, show out. They both hooped tonight.”

Ogwumike showed out herself, leading L.A. with a season-high 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor, along with eight rebounds, three assists and zero turnovers.

In the paint, Cambage had her hands full with Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles, who contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes before fouling out. Cambage, limited to just 25 minutes due to foul trouble, finished with 12 points, seven boards, three assists and three blocks.

After the Lynx went ahead 51-44 with 6:20 to go in the third, Lexie Brown led the Sparks on an 11-2 run to give them a 55-53 advantage. Making her home debut, Brown sank three 3-pointers and recorded an assist, a block and a steal in the last 5:44 of the quarter. The 27-year-old also forced another Lynx turnover by deflecting McBride’s dribble out of bounds off the Minnesota guard.

Brown hit four of six 3-pointers Tuesday night, with her most important shot of the night evening the score at 82 with 53.3 seconds left in the game.

“My confidence is through the roof,” said Brown, who played for the Lynx from 2019-20.

Two other Sparks newcomers provided boosts in their home debuts. Chennedy Carter, after scoring a combined two points on 1-for-12 shooting in the previous two contests, picked up eight points in 11 minutes, going 4-for-5 from the floor. Jordin Canada, meanwhile, contributed eight points, six assists and three steals.

“My favorite part about playing (at Crypto.com Arena) is seeing new teammates play here for the first time on the Sparks,” Ogwumike said. “It’s intoxicating. We have to honor that and protect home court.”

The Sparks will have to wait until next Wednesday’s matchup with the Phoenix Mercury to get their first win at home, rebranded as Crypto.com Arena from the Staples Center late last year.

In the meantime, the Sparks have their latest disappointing result to digest: a loss to previously winless Minnesota, who got 64 of its 87 points from three players (McBride, Fowles and Moriah Jefferson).

Joshua Fischman is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks. He has covered basketball for Vantage Sports and Hoops Rumors and served as co-host of “On the NBA Beat” podcast. Joshua received his master’s in Sports Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @JJTheJuggernaut.

Sparks head coach Derek Fisher has plenty of bad memories against the Connecticut Sun. In all, including Los Angeles’ 77-60 road loss Saturday night, the Sun have outscored Fisher’s Sparks by 108 points and won nine of their 13 matchups during his coaching tenure, playoffs included.

The Sun eliminated the Sparks from each of their last two postseason appearances, including a three-game sweep in the 2019 WNBA semifinals that Fisher’s team lost by a combined 57 points. In Game 2 of the series, the Sparks suffered their third-worst postseason loss in franchise history, 94-68. Particularly vexing for fans and analysts was Fisher’s decision to play his star, Candace Parker, just 11 minutes in Game 3. In Games 2 and 3, Parker averaged 3.5 points per game.

In 2020, the 10-12 Sun stunned the 15-7 Sparks, eliminating them from the playoffs with a 73-59 victory in a winner-take-all second-round game that Nneka Ogwumike missed with a concussion. Last season, the Sun swept the Sparks in their three-game regular-season series, including 18-point and 15-point victories.

One game into the 2022 season series between these teams, and Fisher’s nightmares against Connecticut have continued.

The Sun jumped out to a 12-0 lead Saturday night and ended the half on a 21-6 run, leading 49-25 at halftime. In the first half, Connecticut out-rebounded Los Angeles 27-9, and Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas combined for 32 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Nneka Ogwumike and Liz Cambage, meanwhile, tallied a mere eight points and four rebounds combined in the half.

The Sparks responded with a strong third quarter, outscoring the Sun 19-8, including 8-0 runs to start and end the frame, and trailing 57-44 heading into the fourth quarter. The closest the Sparks came to the Sun in the second half, however, was nine points after Jordin Canada’s 10-footer made the score 67-58 with 4:18 remaining in the game. After Canada’s runner, the Sun finished the game on a 10-2 run to win 77-60.

Connecticut out-rebounded L.A. 45-21 overall Saturday night and held a 19-8 advantage on the offensive glass.

“Ideally, they’re going to get a good shot later in the (shot) clock,” Fisher said of Connecticut’s offensive strategy after the game. “And then they just really beat you up on the offensive glass, and that becomes their most effective offense other than in transition.”

Canada continued to be a bright spot for the Sparks, tying the team lead with 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the field. The UCLA product and two-time WNBA champion, who signed with the Sparks in free agency after four seasons in Seattle, leads L.A. with 15.5 points per game through the first four contests.

“We like her being aggressive,” Fisher said of Canada prior to Saturday’s game. “We want her to stay with her foot on the gas.”

Alyssa Thomas paced Connecticut with 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Jonquel Jones contributed 16 points, 12 boards, two steals and a block.

The Sparks play their home opener at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday night after beginning the season on a four-game road trip. Entering the season with a star-laden roster and high expectations, the Sparks are back to .500 after beginning the year 2-0.

“Eleven days straight since the season started and we haven’t seen our own beds,” Sparks forward Chiney Ogwumike said.” So, we’re looking forward to that opportunity to just get the natural energy (of playing at home).”

Joshua Fischman is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks. He has covered basketball for Vantage Sports and Hoops Rumors and served as co-host of “On the NBA Beat” podcast. Joshua received his master’s in Sports Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @JJTheJuggernaut.

LOS ANGELES — Two hours before Angel City FC’s 1-0 home loss to the Orlando Pride, JJ Keith was enjoying the sunshine and festive atmosphere with her family at Christmas Tree Lane East, a park that borders Banc of California Stadium. The grassy expanse was nearly full of mothers, fathers and children buzzing about the evening’s match, clad in their ACFC black, white and pink jerseys, hats and scarves.

JJ, a massive women’s soccer fan, and her husband bought season tickets for Angel City’s debut season in the NWSL as soon as they went on sale. She jokes that the game falling on Mother’s Day was her “trump card” to make her two children, ages 11 and 13, attend a game. Her 13-year-old daughter, Beatrix, whose pronouns are she/they, is not much of a soccer fan, but knows how important it was to their mother to be there Sunday.

“I played soccer for six years and then stopped because I got bored, and also COVID was a big deal,” Beatrix said. “And then my endurance died. I can’t even do the mile that well.”

JJ felt strongly that her kids, especially Beatrix, who attends a middle school magnet program in the San Fernando Valley, have the chance to witness an Angel City match at the Banc. The expansion club’s ownership group and front office staff, made up of majority women, have been vocal from the beginning about their intentions to advocate for inclusive values as well as women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

“I wanted Beatrix here because they’re queer, and I wanted them to be in a space where there’s a lot of adult queer women,” JJ said. “Seeing queer families, like families with two moms for example, is something they don’t see a lot of. I just want them to be in those spaces and see that and have it modeled for them. We’re not the only type of family, and this isn’t the only way you can do things. And the players, too, not just the fans — to have out and proud athletes on the field, it’s so important. I love our queen, Christen (Press). I just wanted Beatrix to get that context of what adult gay women are doing and what that looks like.”

The Gunn Family of Eagle Rock were also enjoying the pregame festivities at Christmas Tree Lane East two hours before kickoff. After buying a bag of ACFC merchandise, and putting some of it right on, 6-year-old Maisie Gunn kicked a miniature soccer ball to her mom, Justine, as father Nathan gushed about the benefits of his daughter becoming interested in sports.

“The great thing about sports for girls is it takes them completely out of a world that can be not very supportive to little girls,” Nathan said. “All the women in sports are badasses. They’re all working toward the same thing and it’s inclusive of their talents, irrespective of society and whatever else.”

When asked why she wanted to be here on Mother’s Day, the exuberant Maisie, who lost a tooth playing soccer last week, said, “Because we wanted to do something that we thought Justine would like.”

Justine laughed and said, “She doesn’t usually call me that.”

The energetic kindergartner has recently started playing soccer, and her mother grew up playing recreationally, so the Gunns are excited to have a women’s team in their backyard to support.

The family also recently purchased season tickets for the Los Angeles Sparks, initially inspired by the team’s mobility around the Black Lives Matter movement.

“It’s a great city for women’s sports,” Justine said, “and we’re happy to have a girl who’s becoming a big fan. I want her to be involved in sports, because it’s a great place to build confidence and a lot of other important values.”

The family’s tickets are for Section 119, much to Maisie’s delight.

“I want to go to the tippy top!” Maisie exclaimed, before running no more than 10 feet away with her little ball and shouting, “I’m gonna go play soccer!”

Meanwhile, JJ, who says she is “very much a feminist and very much in favor of gay rights and trans rights,” spoke passionately about the U.S. Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion last week in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade. Many women’s sports leagues, teams and athletes expressed their frustration with the news, which would dismiss the constitutional right to an abortion if confirmed.

“I’m f—ing furious about the Supreme Court changing on this and that they lied in their hearings,” JJ said. “I am beyond livid, just absolutely enraged and ready to mobilize. I personally never had an abortion, but the access to abortion completely changed my life. My husband’s ex-girlfriend was able to have an abortion, and so when we started our life together, there wasn’t this other kid. And I want my kids and their partners in the future to have access to that choice.”

“The fact that I was able to choose motherhood is very important to me,” JJ adds. “And I want my kids to be able to choose parenthood when or if — (JJ points at Beatrix) this one’s very against it — if they decide it’s for them. Being a mother is so hard. Everything is so difficult and stacked against mothers. To ask someone to do that against their will when it’s not what they want to or are able to do, is unfair to the mother, unfair to the family, unfair to any children she does have or will have. It’s just not right.”

JJ recognized how powerful it was for a professional sports team like Angel City FC to take a public stance on such a polarizing topic, even when, she said, women’s reproductive protections should be viewed as a basic human rights issue.

“I am really glad to be a fan of a football team that will stand up for that right,” she said.

Beatrix said that access to contraception and abortion is something that they and their fellow seventh graders are aware of and discuss.

“Kids do talk about it,” Beatrix said, “especially the female students.”

Justine also saw ACFC’s statement against the Supreme Court opinion on Twitter and said that she’s proud to support a team committed to fighting injustice.

“I’m very proud of women’s sports teams in general, including the Sparks and Angel City, at how outspoken they’ve been in these years of really depressing news for women,” Justine said. “That’s so important and that is absolutely part of why we support them. I also feel a little genuinely sad that women athletes have to be saddled with the extra responsibility of being political when maybe they don’t want to be. It’s not fair, because it’s hard enough to be a pro athlete. I am glad that it’s not much of a debate anymore, that they can speak their minds and not face any problems because of it. … It should be just good enough that they’re awesome athletes, but that’s the way the world is, and I’m very proud to fully support them.”

Joshua Fischman is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks. He has covered basketball for Vantage Sports and Hoops Rumors and served as co-host of “On the NBA Beat” podcast. Joshua received his master’s in Sports Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @JJTheJuggernaut.

LOS ANGELES — For the first time since 2009, Los Angeles fans watched a women’s professional soccer team play a regular-season match, as Angel City FC defeated the North Carolina Courage 2-1 on Friday night. ACFC announced its NWSL entrance in July 2020, but as the team took the field in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 at Banc of California Stadium for its home opener, after the anticipation and the build-up of the past year, it all started to feel real.

Thousands of fans arrived as much as four hours before kickoff to revel in the historic moment together, playing games, dancing to a live DJ and chanting “Dalé, Dalé, ACFC” with drumming accompaniment. The on-field pregame festivities included pyrotechnics and a live musical performance replete with a 40-piece marching band.

ACFC defender Vanessa Gilles kept the good times rolling, sending the crowd into a frenzy in the third minute when she headed in a precise centering pass from Jun Endo on the right flank for the first goal in regular-season franchise history. As the fans cheered their team’s 1-0 lead, Gilles’ teammates wrapped her in a swaying group embrace before the Canadian jogged back to midfield, raising her arms triumphantly.

Arturo Gutierrez, his wife and two sons (ages 9 and 11), decked out in matching ACFC scarves and kits, were four of the 22,000 who lost their minds on the Gilles goal. The family from nearby Lynwood has season tickets in the supporters’ section, where Arturo’s son, 11-year-old Arturo Jr., plays the drums.

“We’re super excited,” Arturo Sr. said. “It’s nice being able to see him happy. It makes me happy.”

Arturo Sr. said he and his wife speak to their sons “all the time” about the importance of supporting women.

“I’m a real soccer fan,” he said, “and it’s important to support the women. They need that from us. Not having a women’s team is not right. We finally got one, and we’re here to make history, bro.”

Ten minutes after Gilles made history with the franchise’s first goal, ACFC struck again. Receiving a pass from Savannah McCaskill, Endo met the ball with her left foot and directed it across her body and into the bottom right corner of the goal.

In Endo’s first 13-plus minutes of NWSL regular-season play, the 21-year-old — who before tonight had never played for a team outside of Japan — factored in both goals to give ACFC a 2-0 advantage. Meanwhile, in the stands behind the opposite goal, an ACFC supporter waved Endo’s native flag of Japan.

Twelve-year-old Farrah Pulido of El Monte soaked in every moment of the match with her mom, Ivette, who received two tickets from her boss, a season-ticket holder who could not attend Friday’s match.

“We’re both big soccer fans,” Ivette said. “I grew up watching it, and now so does Farrah, and it’s always been all about the men. Finally, we have a women’s team.”

Farrah, who is a goalkeeper for the SC Blues club soccer team based in Irvine, naturally loves watching fellow goalies.

In the 38th minute, she witnessed ACFC goalkeeper DiDi Haracic dive to her left and deflect a dangerous shot out of play.

“DiDi’s save was absolutely world-class,” ACFC head coach Freya Coombe said after the match. “I’d like to say that we’ve never seen that before, but I think that we all had in the Portland Challenge Cup final where she did exactly the same thing. DiDi’s proven herself in those big moments.”

Haracic saved three of the four shots on goal she faced Friday night.

The Courage dominated possession in the second half but only capitalized on one opportunity. Brazilian national team star Debinha’s score in the 51st minute marked her fifth straight game with a goal.

In the final 10 minutes of the match, the stadium rocked with “Let’s go, City” chants until ACFC officially secured its first regular-season victory, persevering through several Courage rushes, especially during the six minutes of stoppage play.

“The crowd was unreal tonight,” Coombe said. “It was the best environment I’ve ever coached in.” The ACFC manager said she noticed “something special” about the fan support when the players came out for warm-ups.

“The support from the fans has been unwavering,” said Coombe, “It’s definitely having an impact on the players on the field. They’re living off that energy …We’re really grateful to have the number of fans we do, but also the passion and intensity of the fans.”

“I’ve never played in front of a crowd this big. Not on my side,” ACFC midfielder Dani Weatherholt said. “It was an unreal feeling to have all those people backing us … This community loves soccer. It’s very evident.”

Chris Weyant-Forbes and her partner, Al Weyant-Forbes, were among the ACFC backers in the stadium, wearing matching shirts that read, “#EQUALITY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS” on the front, and “WE DESERVE TO BE HERE” on the back. Al works at Riverside City College, where the women’s basketball team has had trouble getting access to the weight room and other college facilities. The women were regularly getting bumped in favor of the men’s teams, which led players on the team and the coach to speak out and later sue the college.

“The coach had these shirts made up, and we are wearing them,” Chris said, “because that’s bulls—t!”

Chris and Al discovered ACFC through a Los Angeles Times article, prompting them to attend their first game last Sunday, a Challenge Cup match in Fullerton. They had such a good time that they decided to come to opening night all the way from their Riverside home, a nearly two-hour drive from the stadium without traffic.

“I think it’s really cool that the team is predominantly women-owned and -operated,” Al said. “I love that they’re doing programs for girls to get into sports, and I’ve read that they do programming for women who retire from professional sports and give them career development so they can still work in sports. I just think it’s rad what Angel City Football Club is doing.”

ACFC captain and L.A. native Ali Riley feels just as strongly about the team’s mission as the fans.

“I saw a lot of families,” Riley said. “I saw a lot of men, women. The point is that women’s soccer belongs, and it belongs in this city. And I think for this club to do it is perfect, because it’s not just about inspiring young girls. It’s also about impacting the community and helping underserved communities. That’s really a big part of what motivates this team. For us to get that win tonight, with 22,000 people, I hope we really sent a message.”

Message received.

Joshua Fischman is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks. He has covered basketball for Vantage Sports and Hoops Rumors and served as co-host of “On the NBA Beat” podcast. Joshua received his master’s in Sports Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @JJTheJuggernaut.

TORRANCE, Calif. — With a mischievous grin on her face, new Los Angeles Sparks point guard Chennedy Carter pulled up a chair among the media and prepared to mess with her teammates Te’a Cooper and Arella Guirantes.

Called on to ask a question, Carter got down to business.

“How you doin’? My name is Hollywood, Hollywood Carter,” Carter introduced herself with the straightest face she could muster. “What are you guys looking most forward to about this season?”

The question was a softball, but it wasn’t meant to be hard-hitting. Carter was having fun, and her lightheartedness was contagious, eliciting laughter from Cooper and Guirantes. And when Carter took her place at the podium in the following Q&A session, Cooper razzed her back.

Coming off a disappointing 12-20 season, in which they missed the playoffs for just the third time in the past 22 seasons and the first time since 2011, the Sparks could understandably feel extra pressure. The expectations are even higher this season after the team landed superstar Liz Cambage from the Las Vegas Aces in free agency and added Carter, Katie Lou Samuelson and Jordin Canada to the mix. Four of the team’s players — Nneka Ogwumike, Cambage, Kristie Toliver and Chiney Ogwumike — have combined for 15 WNBA All-Star Game selections. The roster has won a total of six WNBA championships and features two first overall draft picks, two second overall selections and seven players taken in the top four spots of their respective drafts. The Sparks, too, boast six combined career All-Defensive First Team selections.

And yet, despite all the talent and accompanying expectations, the vibe among players and head coach/general manager Derek Fisher at media day on Wednesday was light. The Sparks know what’s at stake this summer, but they’re taking a levelheaded approach.

“It’s time for us to show more so than talk and tell,” Fisher said. “We hear noise from the outside, we’ll continue to hear more of it, but we’re really just going to focus on who we are and becoming the best version of ourselves. We believe that with this group, if we can get anywhere close to the potential that the group holds, the results will take care of themselves.”

Fisher emphasized patience when it comes to reacting to the results of a team dependent on several newcomers.

“It’s not easy to just put 12 players together and just go out there and win every night at the professional level or at any level,” said Fisher, who played 18 seasons in the NBA before moving into coaching and taking over the Sparks job in 2019.

“We have to be realistic about some of the time that it will take to find the rhythm and the timing for how we can create success with this version of our team. With all that said, we expect a lot from ourselves. We have to be open to being so fully present in each moment that we’re not holding ourselves to some arbitrary expectation. It’s really about what we’re doing right now to get better … If it takes us a little bit more time, so be it.”

Through the first two weeks of training camp, the Sparks have tried to keep things loose, influenced in part by two new goofballs on the team, Carter and Cambage. Cooper, a third-year guard, has known Carter since their days rooming together at Team USA trials.

“She just played the whole time,” Cooper said. “We just laughed all night long. She’s still the same jokester.”

“Chennedy’s a kid,” Nneka Ogwumike added. “She’s a kid, and she brings that energy. Sometimes it’s great to have that type of energy, especially when you have certain returners that were holding really big minutes last year through the challenges that we experienced. … Her nickname is ‘Hollywood,’ which is so funny because everyone’s asking me if she’s from here and I’m like ‘No, she’s not.’ That’s just the lightness that she brings.”

Four-time WNBA All-Star and 2018 scoring champion Cambage also displayed her proclivity for play during media day. She joked that Brittney Sykes should focus on dunking in a game (the defensive specialist regularly blocks the 6-foot-8 Cambage’s shot in practice), superstitiously refused to disclose any of her pinky promises that have yet to materialize and dropped the occasional curse word before apologizing each time.

Another key figure keeping everyone light is the team’s head coach, whom Sykes described as “a funny dude on the low.”

“If you get him to yourself on the side, he’s got some jokes,” the 2021 WNBA All-Defensive First Teamer said of Fisher. “He’s actually got some jokes in his back pocket.”

Jokes aside, Cambage, like her coach, preached patience.

“The most important thing, at the start of this season, is that we’re focusing on our chemistry and getting it together,” she said. “Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re not going to be the team tomorrow. It’s going to take time. Just as long as we got the chemistry right and we’re vibing at the end of the season, that’s all that’s important.”

Despite a realistic attitude, Cambage herself expects huge success from her new team this season.

“Crowd’s gonna be lit. Building’s gonna be lit. Women’s basketball is going to be lit. It’s going to be the most wild summer the WNBA’s ever seen. That’s how I think this summer’s going to go,” the 30-year-old center declared. “And we’re going to have a ring at the end of it.”

Joshua Fischman is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering Angel City FC and the Los Angeles Sparks. He has covered basketball for Vantage Sports and Hoops Rumors and served as co-host of “On the NBA Beat” podcast. Joshua received his master’s in Sports Media from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Follow him on Twitter @JJTheJuggernaut.