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Sparks shoot 61 percent, beat Storm 77-65

By WTOP Staff

CURTIS ZUPKE
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Candace Parker and the Los Angeles Sparks would like some late-season momentum to make up for a mostly underachieving season.

Parker scored 24 points, Kristi Toliver had 20 and the Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 77-65 on Friday night to remain in control of the race for the No. 3 seed.

The Sparks (16-17) are a game ahead of San Antonio for third place in the Western Conference with one game remaining. Los Angeles can clinch third with a win in its regular-season finale Saturday at West-leading Phoenix. San Antonio, which owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Sparks, finishes Sunday against Chicago.

The Sparks were coming off a big win against Minnesota, a possible first-round playoff opponent, and Parker hopes they are building toward the postseason.

“I think we’re kind of starting to find our identity a little bit, and it’s about feeling good,” Parker said. “There’s so many times where we peaked so early in the season, where we were playing extremely well and then, all of a sudden, come playoff time we weren’t playing well. Hopefully this is the polar opposite.”

Jenna O’Hea scored a career-high 16 points for the Storm (12-21), who were eliminated from the playoffs before tip-off when San Antonio defeated Minnesota. It is the first time Seattle has missed the playoffs since 2003. The Storm rested most of their starters as Sue Bird, Camille Little and Tanisha Wright did not play in the second half.

The Sparks shot a season-high 61 percent from the field.

Seattle coach Brian Agler wanted to evaluate other players and get ready for next season, but the finality of an early summer set in.

“What I told our team before the game was that we don’t like being where we’re at right now, but I was proud of how they battled down the stretch because we’ve had a very difficult season,” Agler said. “A lot of teams would have self-destructed, and we didn’t.”

Parker and Toliver made back-to-back 3-pointers to cap an 11-4 run that put the game away in the fourth quarter. Seattle’s reserves kept it close and got to six points down early in the fourth on Alysha Clark’s drive before Parker completed a three-point play on a runner in the lane.

Sparks coach and general manager Penny Toler wasn’t entirely pleased with the win after her team committed 20 turnovers and allowed Seattle to nearly come back from 20 points down.

“We got a little careless with the ball, and I think we all know that’s not going to happen against Phoenix,” Toler said. “You’ve got to come out and play every minute of the game. No matter who your opponent is, you have to come and give the same effort night in and night out.”

Seattle watched San Antonio win about 20 minutes before tip-off. The Sparks took an 18-4 lead to start the game and shot 20 for 29 in the first half. The 48 points were the most allowed by Seattle in the first half this season.

“The mood was flat,” O’Hea said. “We had a lot of momentum going into this game — we won our last three games — so we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. We knew some things had to go our way . we knew it wasn’t going to be. Brian came in and gave us a talk. We still want to keep getting better. We still want to finish the season off well for our fans, and for each other.”

The Sparks swept the five-game season series.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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