Plenette Pierson scored 21 points, including a three-point play with 26.3 seconds left that gave Detroit its first lead of the game, and the Shock held off the Los Angeles Sparks 75-73 Sunday night.
After a ball fake gave her an open lane to the basket, Pierson drove and laid the ball in while slamming into Jessica Moore _ who was called for a foul as the shot dropped. Pierson then sank the free throw.
Sidney Spencer and Taj McWilliams-Franklin both missed on the ensuing possession, and McWilliams-Franklin and Kara Braxton tied up the rebound with 9.9 seconds left.
Braxton won the jump ball, but Deanna Nolan lost the ball out of bounds with 7.4 seconds left.
Temeka Johnson threw away the inbounds pass, but Shannon Johnson kept Los Angeles (8-16) alive when she missed a pair of free throws.
However, Temeka Johnson appeared to lose track of the clock, and didn't get a shot off before the buzzer.
Swin Cash, who played a key role in Detroit's fourth-quarter comeback, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Katie Smith added 14 for the Shock (20-6).
McWilliams-Franklin led the Sparks with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Moore scored 12.
The defending WNBA champions got off to their customary slow start, falling behind 19-9 in the first 7 minutes, but rallied to 39-34 at the half.
Los Angeles still appeared to have the game under control when they led 68-60 with 6 minutes left, but Cash hit a pair of free throws, then put back an offensive rebound to make it 68-65.
Smith and Moore traded free throws, and Cash was fouled after pulling down another offensive rebound.
She hit both free throws, giving her seven points in less than 3 minutes and cutting the Los Angeles lead to 69-68 with 2:55 to go.
The Sparks led 73-72 when McWilliams-Franklin missed inside with 42 seconds left. Kara Braxton pulled down the rebound, setting up Pierson's winning play.
Source: AP News
