Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper produced the first opposing 40-point games in WNBA history, including the playoffs, as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 111-102 in overtime Saturday night at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
Plum scored 43 points for Los Angeles, while Copper finished with 41 for Phoenix. ESPN reported that both guards set career highs, turning a regular-season WNBA game into a league record before the Sparks left with their third straight win.
Plum Carries Sparks Through Overtime In Phoenix
Plum made 14 of 26 shots, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range, and went 10-for-12 at the free throw line. She also had seven assists, giving the Sparks the scoring and playmaking they needed after the game stretched beyond regulation.
The 43 points tied the Sparks single-game scoring record held by retired guard Kristi Toliver, according to ESPN. Plum also tied a Los Angeles franchise record with 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles coach Lynne Roberts called it an offensive display by both guards, and the box score backed up the plain reading. The Sparks improved to 7-6, including 5-1 away from home, while Plum continued a season in which ESPN listed her as averaging a WNBA-best 26.6 points per game.
Copper Sets Mercury Mark In A Loss
Copper shot 16-for-30 from the field, 6-for-14 from behind the arc and added 10 rebounds. ESPN reported she became the first player in Mercury history to score at least 40 points with a double-double.
That record came with a smaller club list attached. Copper and Diana Taurasi are the only Mercury players to score at least 40 in a game, with Taurasi having done it four times.
The hard part for Phoenix was that Copper's night still came in a loss. ESPN reported she is the second player in WNBA history to score at least 40 points in a defeat, after Lauren Jackson did it for Seattle in 2007.
Sparks Leave With Record And Result
The ESPN event summary verified the game as final, with Los Angeles winning 111-102 after overtime. Phoenix dropped to 4-11 overall and 1-5 at home.
For the Mercury, the night goes into the record book with a rough edge: Copper authored one of the franchise's biggest individual scoring games, but the team still could not close out the result. For the Sparks, Plum's career high came with the cleaner combination, a league-history marker and a road win in the same box score.