MINNEAPOLIS -- In a championship series filled with stars, Alana Beard sometimes can get lost with so much attention on Minnesotas four Olympians and the two MVPs in Los Angeles.Thats exactly what happened in the closing moments of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, and Beard hit a jumper from the baseline just before time expired to lift the Sparks to a 78-76 victory over the defending champion Lynx.With the defense collapsing on Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike in the paint, Beard found herself all alone in the corner. She took the pass from Chelsea Gray and knocked down jumper with Maya Moores in her face.As the ball splashed through, Moore put her head in her hands, and the Sparks celebrated a thrilling victory, their second on Minnesotas court this season.You may not recognize the importance of her statistically for us a lot of times, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. But her presence, her leadership, obviously how disruptive she can be defensively, and then for her to hit a shot like that, it was incredible.Kristi Toliver scored 19 points to lead Los Angeles and Parker had 14 points and nine rebounds in her finals debut. League MVP Ogwumike added 19 points for the Sparks in the opener of the best-of-five series.Sylvia Fowles had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Lindsay Whalen scored 18 points for top-seeded Minnesota. Moore scored all 18 of her points in the second half to move into first place on the WNBAs career finals scoring list, but the Lynx committed 16 turnovers and got caught scrambling on the final possession of the game.I think we were more worried about not letting anyone get to the hole, Fowles said. Im not sure exactly what happened on that last play to make her get wide open. But we learned from this.There was a time not too long ago when Beards name belonged on the marquee with players Parker and Ogwumike or Lynx stars Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. She was the national player of the year at Duke, the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2004 and a four-time All-Star before injuries set her back.She re-emerged in Los Angeles as a defensive specialist, but she took center stage in Game 1. Before she hit the game-winner, Beard also had a spectacular block of a shot by Whalen and then a steal off an inbounds to set up Ogwumikes bucket for a 76-72 lead.Moore scored on a coast-to-coast layup to tie the score at 76 with 24.7 seconds to play, but she helped aggressively on Grays drive on the other end, leaving Beard open for just her second bucket of the game.I dont think Ive ever hit a game-winner, Beard said quietly. So its pretty cool. Pretty cool.NEW LOOK: In years past these two teams never could have met in the finals because both are in the Western Conference. But the league changed its playoff format this year and seeded all of the teams based on record, not geography. The result in the first year could not have been better for the league with the top two teams throughout the season meeting.I dont think its a fluke that were here now in the finals, Fowles said. Im loving this new format.PARKERS DEBUT: Parker has been one of the leagues brightest stars for years, but has never been able to reach the leagues biggest stage. She hit 5 of 12 shots and had three assists.At first obviously theres some nerves, but you kind of get lost in the game and just trying to execute, Parker said. We had to take it possession by possession because you never know whats going to happen.MOORES MARK: The Minnesota star was 0 for 4 in the first half, but made 7 of 10 shots in the final two quarters to move past Diana Taurasi for first place on the WNBAs career scoring list for the finals. She set the mark with 5:20 to play after hitting a jump shot and converting the three-point play.TOP 20: The WNBA hosted more than a dozen members of the top 20 players in league history for a halftime ceremony. Each player was presented with a ring to commemorate it. Whalen, Moore, Parker and Augustus all participated in the ceremony, and the league extended the length of halftime to allow them to receive their rings and then get back to the locker room to meet with coaches and teammates.UP NEXT: Game 2 is on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Cheap RB From China . 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Jalen Hurts burst on the scene to lead Alabama to a wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking. Ed Oliver wrecked offenses from Oklahoma to Louisville for Houston. It was a good year for true freshmen in college football. Here are the best of the group:OFFENSEQB: Jalen Hurts, Alabama Hurts amassed more than 3,400 yards of total offense to go along with 34 touchdowns in leading the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff. And the fact he threw only nine interceptions given his unfamiliarity with a pro-style offense was impressive.RB: Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M Williams was an electrifying spark plug for Texas A&M and gave its offense a different dimension. He posted eight touchdowns and 1,024 yards on 7.0 yards per carry.RB: Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky Snell posted a whopping 13 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,057 yards while sharing backfield duties with Boom Williams.?WR: Ahmmon Richards, Miami Richards quickly became a go-to deep threat with the speed to take the top off the defense. One of the bigger freshman surprises of the year, he will head into bowl season with 46 receptions and two touchdowns.WR: Demetris Robertson, Cal Robertson didnt sign with Cal until March, but he wasted no time making an impact, hauling in 50 catches and recording seven touchdowns. He also made an impact as a kick returner.TE: Isaac Nauta, Georgia Nauta was as good as advertised from the moment he stepped on campus, and while he split some time with Jeb Blazovich and his numbers were modest (27 catches), Nauta displayed go-to ability for this offense going forward.OL: Jonah Williams, Alabama Williams started every game at right tackle, a clear top true freshman lineman regardless of position. He even graded out better than Cam Robinson most weeks.OL: Jawaan Taylor, Florida A starting right tackle, Taylor made a quicker and bigger impact for Florida than more highly touted Greg Little did for Ole Miss. Taylor fit in immediately at a need position for the Gators.OL: Parker Braun, Georgia Tech A starting left guard for the Yellow Jackets, Braun earned ACC Offensive Lineman of Week after a November win over Virginia Tech, a first for a Georgia Tech freshman.OL: Nate Herbig, Stanford A tough, physical player in a scheme that freshman often struggle to be tough enough to succeed, Herbig found a way to make it work at left guard.OL: Ben Bredeson, Michigan After making a push to start at left tackle during the preseason, Bredeson eventually moved to guard, where he started six games and was named an All-Big Ten honorable menntion.ddddddddddddDEFENSEDL: Nick Bosa, Ohio State Like his older brother, Joey, Nick exploded onto the scene in Columbus, finishing with five sacks and being selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.DL: Brian Burns, Florida State Burns registered 9.5 sacks, more than any other freshman in college football, and tied for 15th overall in the country.DL: Dexter Lawrence, Clemson The ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year made an outstanding Tigers defensive line even better, finishing with 71 tackles, 7.5 for loss and five sacks.DL: Ed Oliver, Houston He was named the AAC Rookie of the Year and first-team All-AAC after recording 61 tackles, five sacks and a whopping 19.5 tackles for loss.LB: Michael Pinckney, Miami Pinckney finished with 57 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the year. Wed say Miami is set at linebacker for at least the next two years.LB: Shaq Quarterman, Miami One of three freshman starting linebackers for Miami since Day 1, Quarterman recorded 79 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks.LB: Troy Dye, Oregon Dye made the transition from safety to linebacker and quickly blossomed, tallying 6.5 sacks and 91 tackles for the Ducks. He was one of the bright spots for a poor defensive team.CB: Taylor Rapp, Washington Rapp announced himself nationally with two interceptions, including one pick-six, in the Pac-12 championship game. He totaled 45 tackles and two pass breakups on the year as an integral part of the Huskies defensive performance this year.S: Jessie Bates III, Wake Forest The second team All-ACC pick had two interceptions returned for touchdowns while helping guide a terrific but underrated Demon Deacons defense.S: Jalen Thompson, Washington State Thompson led the Cougars with seven pass breakups and helped turn around a defense and a team that started 0-2.CB: Jordan Parker, Oklahoma Parker appeared in nine games and eventually became Oklahomas best cover corner on what was a poor defense. He posted 34 tackles and three pass breakups, but did not record an interception.SPECIAL TEAMSK: Ricky Aguayo, Florida State The younger brother of former Florida State star -- and second-round NFL draft pick Roberto -- Ricky lived up to his brothers lofty standards, nailing 17 field goals and all 48 of his extra points.P: Blake Gillikin, Penn State An overlooked part of Penn States Big Ten-winning season was Gilliken and his 42.1 punting average. ' ' '