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CBS News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Valkyries fall short after unsuccessful second half comeback losing 83-82 to Sparks in first-ever game
Valkyries nearly beat Los Angeles Sparks in their first-ever game Valkyries nearly beat Los Angeles Sparks in their first-ever game Valkyries nearly beat Los Angeles Sparks in their 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 2 points. 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.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
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.
