Valkyries fall short in second half comeback losing 83-82 against 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 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. It was also Natalie Nakase's first game as a WNBA head coach, and not only is she making history as the Valkyries' first coach, but she is also the first Asian American head coach in the WNBA.
The Sparks took an early lead in the matchup off a layup by Kelsey Plum and converting a steal. The Valkyries quickly got on the board after Hayes connected with Billings for 2 points.
Golden State nearly tied the score near the beginning at 6-5, but the Sparks pulled ahead and added to their lead, going on a 6-0 run.
The Valkryries trailed behind for the rest of the first quarter, ending in 16-13.
Laeticia Amihere scored the first 2 points in the second quarter and scored a free throw to get the Valkyries to 16 and within 6 points of the Sparks.
They continued to trail for the rest of the quarter and ended the half at 39-25.
For the first half of the game, the Sparks and Valkyries battled it out in the paint. Golden State had scored more than half their points from in the paint, 14, and the Sparks had scored 26.
Billings was having a strong showing at the 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 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year, Carla Leite, Julie Vanloo and Laeticia Amihere, came off the bench in the first half and combined for 7 points.
The Valkryies got off to a great start in the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Thornton. Plum scored 2, getting the Sparks to 41. But Billings responded back with a layup off a pass from Burton.
A steal by Thornton stopped the Sparks from scoring, and Hayes scored two free throws to cut the lead down to single digits. Thornton showed up big again with a defensive rebound that the Valkyries were able to score on.
They continued their run scoring some free throws and a layup by Burton to get within two points of the Sparks. The Sparks pulled away again after back-to-back fouls gave them four free throw attempts, and off a shot by Odyssey Sims.
Late in the third quarter, it remained a close game, but Martin nearly tied the game with a pull-up 3-point attempt, but was fouled.
Martin was still able to tie up the match at the free throw line, but the Sparks took the lead again with a 3-pointer.
The Valkyries, however, responded back and ultimately tied the game up after Kyara Linskens connected with Amihere for a 3-pointer to close out the final seconds. The Valkyries outscored the Spark 32-18 in the third quarter.
Amihere scored the team's first points in the final quarter and helped keep the Valkyries within single digits of the Sparks after they took the lead again in the fourth quarter.
A steal by Vanloo got the Valkyries within one point after she threw a bounce pass to Kaitlyn Chen on the fast break. Chen converted on the fast break and got the team to 66-67, with 5 minutes left in the game.
The Sparks ultimately kept the lead and never let it go, but the Valkyries showed a strong second half, only losing by 1 point after a pull-up 3-pointer by Amihere.
The Sparks had two inactive players, forward Cameron Brink and guard Julie Allemand. The Valkyries had Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini as inactive.
Almost all of the Valkyries roster saw playtime in their first preseason game.
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