Plum scores 28, Sparks withstand Wings' late run to win 97-96 as Bueckers misses potential winner

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kelsey Plum scored 28 points, Dearica Hamby had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Sparks held on to beat the Dallas Wings 97-96 on Friday night after Paige Bueckers missed a potential winning 3-pointer.

Plum gave Los Angeles a 95-82 lead with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter before Dallas closed on a 14-2 run.

Plum made the Sparks' next basket at the 1:03 mark for a 97-91 lead. Bueckers answered with a quick layup to pull within four and the Sparks turned it over at the other end.

JJ Quinerly sank a 3-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds left for a one-point deficit. Plum missed two free throws and Dallas took over possession after a jump ball.

Bueckers raced up the floor for a contested 3-pointer that rolled off the rim as time expired.

Azura Stevens and Rickea Jackson each added 15 points for Los Angeles (16-17). Julie Allemand had 12 points, 10 assists and four steals. Plum reached 4,000 career points in the first half. Hamby had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the sixth time this season.

Bueckers finished with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting for Dallas (9-25). The No. 1 pick in the draft became the fastest player in franchise history to score 500 points. Maddy Siegrist added 15 points, Quinerly had 11 points and nine assists, and Aziaha James scored 10 points.

Los Angeles led 53-50 at halftime behind double-digit scoring by Hamby, Jackson and Plum.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/WNBA

Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) shoots against Los Angeles Sparks defenders Kelsey Plum (10) and Azura Stevens (23) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby (5) moves the ball against Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, right, talks to Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Rocco Commisso, the outspoken owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died. He was 76.

Both Fiorentina and Mediacom announced Commisso’s death early Saturday without providing a cause.

“After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing,” Fiorentina said. “His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself.”

After making Mediacom into one of the United States’ biggest cable television companies, Commisso purchased Fiorentina in 2019 and became known for speaking out against Italy’s bureaucracy and inability to build new stadiums.

Commisso was born in Calabria and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12.

He also owned the New York Cosmos, and played soccer at Columbia University, the Ivy League school that he continued to support philanthropically. The university’s soccer stadium is named for him.

At Fiorentina, Commisso celebrated reaching the Conference League final in 2023 and 2024.

But the team has struggled this season and is currently in Serie A’s relegation zone.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso gesture to club fans from the field ahead of the Conference League Final soccer match between Olympiacos FC and ACF Fiorentina at OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece, on May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)