NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Give the Los Angeles Sparks the save.

Lisa Leslie scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half before fouling out and the Los Angeles Sparks held on through a wild final 46 seconds for a 72-67 victory over the New York Liberty.

Mwadi Mabika added 14 points and 10 rebounds and DeLisha Milton had 10 and 11 for the Sparks, who recorded their fifth straight win and second in a row on the road.

"They're all confidence-boosters and to win at (Madison Square Garden) was huge," Leslie said of the winning streak. "That gives us a serious measuring stick and we've really been haunted in the Garden."

The Sparks had lost their last two in New York but evened the all-time series at 5-5.

Becky Hammon came off the bench and led the Liberty with 18 points while reserve forward Tamika Whitmore added 17. New York's starters combined to score just 32 points.

Leslie fouled out with 46 seconds left battling Tari Phillips for a rebound. When the Liberty forward hit the ensuing free throws, the Sparks' lead was cut to 69-67.

Tamecka Dixon missed a shot in the paint but the ball went out of bounds off the Liberty with 20 seconds to play.

When the Sparks inbounded again, Teresa Weatherspoon pressured Ukari Figgs, got her hand in to push the ball loose and off the Sparks' guard with 14.5 seconds left.

"I felt like I needed to do something to help this team," said Weatherspoon, who scored just two points and went 0-for-5 from the floor, adding six assists. "Fortunately, I got my hand on it and it went off her leg."

But Weatherspoon's inbounds lob pass to Whitmore in the lane was tapped by Mabika to Figgs, who was fouled and hit both free throws to stretch the lead to 71-67 with 12 seconds left.

"I was expecting the pass to go to (Whitmore), so I just went towards her and I was watching Teresa," Mabika said.

"I take full responsibility for them tapping that ball," Whitmore said. "I should have stepped towards the ball and (Mabika) saw it at the last split second. That's just the fundamentals of the game."

Sue Wicks missed an awkward long jumper and Mabika grabbed the rebound, icing the victory by making 1-of-2 free throws.

"We're just playing aggressively and that happens when we play a good team," Mabika said. "We believe in ourselves, we believe in our defense and we believe we can beat anybody."

Leslie scored 10 of the Sparks' 12 points in a six-minute stretch after Hammon had brought the Liberty within 57-56 on a three-point play with 7:45 left. Leslie's free throws with 1:21 to play put Los Angeles up, 69-63.

"Coach let me know I was 1-for-8 and settling for too many jump shots," Leslie said. "I really needed to get down low and establish myself, so I did that. They ran my play so I could go to work 1-on-1, sometimes on-2, and make some low-post shots."

The 6-5 center was active at both ends, hitting the boards, challenging and blocking shots and going to the basket whenever she touched the ball, making up for a dismal first half.

Leslie scored only two points and did not go to line over the first 20 minutes. She missed seven of eight shots and committed three fouls.

The Sparks had the largest lead of the first half, 23-17, when rookie Nicky McCrimmon scored on a layup with 4:53 left.

But the Liberty used a 7-1 run and took a 26-24 lead on Whitmore's layup with 3:32 to go before halftime.