Setbacks pile for Cameron Brink, but she keeps smiling. An ACL injury sidelined her Olympian track and her rookie WNBA season. Yet she tried to be there for her team as the best cheerleader. Her attendance at the game last night didn’t have the outcome she had hoped for, though. The Los Angeles Sparks suffered a blowout 68-103 loss to the New York Liberty in one of the most lopsided games this year yet.

Brink stood out among the crowd at the Crypto.com Arena with her crutches and kept a smile throughout the game. A fan called her the ‘Team Cheerleader’ online. She’d cement that by resharing the post on her Instagram Stories with heart emojis. Ahead of the game, Brink was live on her social media, ensuring everyone knows that the WNBA is back from the Olympics break.

She gave an inside look at the hallways away from screaming fans. “I’m staying behind and gonna be cheering for my girls super loud but just make sure you tune in and we love you very much,” she told her followers.

Also spotted at the game with Brink were Lexie Brown, Stephanie Talbot, and Aari McDonald. Brown is battling Crohn’s disease. Talbot had to compete against the Liberty powerhouse duo in the Olympics and won bronze for Australia. But both Talbot and McDonald are sidelined by foot injuries.

The Sparks are heavily shorthanded right now with about 9 players out due to injury or illness. The toll it’s taking on its record gets glaring with each game.

Cameron Brink’s LA Sparks missing the Liberty’s spark

The WNBA stars were back for the first games since the Olympics. But gold medalists Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart were a tough mountain for the Sparks to climb today. Far from worn out after a hectic summer, they continued their dominance from Paris, Stewart scored a game-high 27 points in a mere 20 minutes, and Ionescu had 18 points. LA’s Dearica Hamby and Rickea Jackson scored 14 and 13 points, respectively while Rae Burrell made 15.

With contributions from everyone, the Liberty was in the lead and there was no coming back for the Sparks. Liberty scored the first 10 points of the game and cruised through from there. They stand at 22-4, first in the league while the Sparks are 10th with a 6-19 record.

The only upside for LA fans was that this game drew Cameron Brink to the court for the first time in a while. Despite no win in the end, it looks like a positive sign for the rookie’s recovery.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.