Los Angeles, CA – Kristi Toliver tied a career-high with 29 points and Candace Parker chipped in 25, as the Los Angeles Sparks downed the San Antonio Silver Stars, 93-86, in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Thursday.
Toliver was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line, while Parker pulled down nine boards for the second-seeded Sparks, who closed the season on a four-game winning streak.
Becky Hammon led the way for San Antonio with 19 points and Danielle Adams followed with 17 points for the Silver Stars, who won three of four against the Sparks during the regular season.
San Antonio held a 44-40 lead at halftime, but the Sparks outscored the Silver Stars by two in the third to cut the lead in half heading into the final frame.
With the game locked at 80-80 in the fourth, Toliver buried a 3-pointer, but San Antonio answered with back-to-back buckets to grab the lead.
Toliver then knocked down a pair of free throw before Parker netted six straight from the charity stripe to seal the victory for the Sparks.
Game 2 of this best-of-three series is slated for Saturday in San Antonio.
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