Guard Korie Hlede displayed her all-around skills with 20 points, six rebounds and a season-high seven assists to lead Detroit to a 69-67 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday afternoon in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Detroit saw a 12-point, second-half lead dwindle to four but then went on a 19-8 run, led by Rachael Sporn's seven points.The Sparks responded with a 17-6 run with less than four minutes to play, cutting the deficit to 65-62 with 14.4 seconds remaining.
Los Angeles was forced to play without its top player, center Lisa Leslie, for the second straight game because of a strained right knee, right wrist and right groin.
COMETS 67, STING 58: At Charlotte, N.C., Cheryl Swoopes scored 20 points as the defending WNBA champion Comets beat the Sting 68-57 on Saturday to extend their winning streak to 13 games.
Kim Perrot added 17 for the Comets (18-1) and Tina Thompson had 15. Cynthia Cooper, who scored 31 points in Houston's 79-65 victory over Charlotte last month, was held to 11.