Valkyries fall short after unsuccessful second half comeback losing 83-82 to Sparks in first-ever game
In their first-ever game, the Golden State Valkyries lost to the Los Angeles Sparks 83-82 after mounting a strong but unsuccessful comeback with the help of Laeticia Amihere, who scored 20 points.
Tiffany Hayes, Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton, Monique Billings and Temi Fagbenle took to the court as the Valkyries' first-ever starting lineup during their preseason game. It was Natalie Nakase's first game as a WNBA head coach, and she made history becoming the WNBA's first Asian American head coach.
The Sparks took an early lead in the matchup off a layup by All-WNBA player Kelsey Plum. The Valkyries quickly got on the board after Hayes connected with Billings for the first basket in franchise history.
Golden State cut the lead to 6-5, but the Sparks pulled ahead, going on a 6-0 run.
The Valkyries finished the first quarter trailing 16-13. The Sparks pulled ahead going into halftime with a commanding 39-25 lead.
The first half was a battle in the paint. Both teams scored more than half their points from in the paint. Golden State scored 14 while Los Angeles scored 26.
Billings had a strong first half with 7 rebounds and 7 points. Thornton, who came off a championship-winning season with the New York Liberty, had 4 rebounds and 6 points. They took the majority of the shots, alongside Hayes.
Kate Martin, who was the 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year, Carla Leite, Julie Vanloo and Laeticia Amihere, combined for 7 first-half points off the bench.
The Valkyries got off to a hot start in the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Thornton, kicking off an 11-2 run to bring Golden State within 2.
The Sparks began to pull away again, taking a 54 to 45 lead with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Then, the Valkyries went on their best run of the game, tying the game at 54-54 with 38 seconds left. The Sparks responded with a 3-pointer, which the Valkyries quickly matched as Kyara Linskens connected with Amihere for a 3-pointer with less than five seconds left to enter the final quarter 57-57.
The Valkyries outscored the Spark 32-18 in the third quarter.
The Sparks scored the first basket in the fourth quarter and never let the lead go.
Amihere scored the Valkyries' first points in the final quarter and helped keep them within single digits of the Sparks.
A steal by Vanloo got the Valkyries within one point after she threw a dime to Kaitlyn Chen on the fast break, bringing the score to 66-67, with 5 minutes left in the game.
The Valkyries had a strong second half but fell short, losing by 1 point after a buzzer-beater by Amihere brought the final score to 83-82.
The Sparks had two inactive players, forward Cameron Brink and guard Julie Allemand. Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini were inactive for the Valkyries.
The Valkyries' next game is preseason action against the Phoenix Mercury on May 11.
