UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) -- The Connecticut Sun gave Katie Douglas

plenty of help this time.

Douglas, one of four Sun players in double figures, scored 25

points Thursday and led the team to its first win, 82-73 over the

Los Angeles Sparks.

It was the second straight 20-plus game for Douglas, who hit

4-of-7 3-pointers. She had 21 points and six 3-pointers in

Connecticut's 68-57 loss to Houston two days earlier. Connecticut

(1-2) shot 51 percent (28-of-55) to snap a two-game shooting slump

in which the Sun had not shot better than 36 percent the first two

games.

"My teammates are finding me when I'm open," Douglas said. "I

have to give credit to them finding me where I like to shoot the

ball."

She also found her teammates often. Douglas and rookie guard

Lindsay Whalen each had seven assists. In all, Connecticut had 22

assists on 28 field goals.

Mwadi Mabika led the Sparks (1-2) with 21 points. Lisa Leslie

and DeLisha Milton-Jones each added 12.

Nykesha Sales added 19 for Connecticut that included a crucial

3-pointer in the closing minutes of the game. Whalen got the first

double-digit performance of her pro career with 10 points. Taj

McWilliams-Franklin scored 14 and added nine rebounds and four

blocked shots.

"It was fun," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "Some of that

stuff we've been close to and we finally got over the hump."

Whalen played 33 minutes, her longest stretch so far, because

backup guard Debbie Black sat out the second half with a sore arm.

It was Leslie who took over early, converting wide open baskets

inside. She had six of the Sparks' first 10 points. But the Sun

defense stiffened and the 6-foot-5 all-star was held scoreless the

rest of the half.

"They just played good team defense and doubled and rotated

well," Leslie said. "Whalen did a good job of pushing the

basketball."

Connecticut used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to

rally from a five-point deficit and take the lead for good. Sales

capped the run with a 3-pointer for a 31-23 lead. The Sun led by as

many as 14 in the period and had a 44-33 lead at the break.

Los Angeles closed to 69-65 with 3:26 remaining, but the Sun,

who made 19-of-20 shots from the foul line, countered with five

free throws. Sales hit a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to seal the win.

"They took us out of everything we wanted to do," Sparks coach

Michael Cooper said. "There was no inside (game) until we started

wanting to do something in the second half, but then it was too

late."

Sparks rookie center Christi Thomas injured her right ankle late

in the second half and had to be helped from the court.