Latest news with #TemiFagbenie
CBS News
a day ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Thornton scores 22 points to carry Golden State Valkyries past Seattle Storm 76-70
Kayla Thornton scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Temi Fagbenle scored 16 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Seattle Storm 76-70 on Saturday. Carla Leite added 14 points for Golden State (5-5). Skylar Diggins scored 21 points, reserve Alysha Clark scored 11 points and Ezi Magbegor 10 for the Storm (6-5). Leite broke a 13-all tie with a layup with 2:18 left in the first quarter and Golden State (5-5) never trailed again. The Valkyries led 21-15 at the end of one, and a Leite basket gave Golden State its first double-digit lead at 25-15 with 8:57 left before halftime. Golden State led 44-31 at halftime. A Leite layin with 5:41 left in the third extended the margin to 56-36 and Golden State led 64-51 at the end of three. Seattle used an 11-2 run to get within 67-62 with 5:24 after a Skylar Diggins basket. Her three-point play with 44.1 seconds to go brought the Storm within 74-70 but they never scored again. Thornton made two foul shots with 13.1 seconds left to seal it.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thornton scores 22 points to carry Golden State Valkyries past Seattle Storm 76-70
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kayla Thornton scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Temi Fagbenle scored 16 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Seattle Storm 76-70 on Saturday. Carla Leite added 14 points for Golden State (5-5). Advertisement Skylar Diggins scored 21 points, reserve Alysha Clark scored 11 points and Ezi Magbegor 10 for the Storm (6-5). Leite broke a 13-all tie with a layup with 2:18 left in the first quarter and Golden State (5-5) never trailed again. The Valkyries led 21-15 at the end of one, and a Leite basket gave Golden State its first double-digit lead at 25-15 with 8:57 left before halftime. Golden State led 44-31 at halftime. A Leite layin with 5:41 left in the third extended the margin to 56-36 and Golden State led 64-51 at the end of three. Seattle used an 11-2 run to get within 67-62 with 5:24 after a Skylar Diggins basket. Her three-point play with 44.1 seconds to go brought the Storm within 74-70 but they never scored again. Thornton made two foul shots with 13.1 seconds left to seal it ___ AP WNBA:
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Thornton scores 22 points to carry Golden State Valkyries past Seattle Storm 76-70
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kayla Thornton scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Temi Fagbenle scored 16 points and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Seattle Storm 76-70 on Saturday. Carla Leite added 14 points for Golden State (5-5). Skylar Diggins scored 21 points, reserve Alysha Clark scored 11 points and Ezi Magbegor 10 for the Storm (6-5). Leite broke a 13-all tie with a layup with 2:18 left in the first quarter and Golden State (5-5) never trailed again. The Valkyries led 21-15 at the end of one, and a Leite basket gave Golden State its first double-digit lead at 25-15 with 8:57 left before halftime. Golden State led 44-31 at halftime. A Leite layin with 5:41 left in the third extended the margin to 56-36 and Golden State led 64-51 at the end of three. Seattle used an 11-2 run to get within 67-62 with 5:24 after a Skylar Diggins basket. Her three-point play with 44.1 seconds to go brought the Storm within 74-70 but they never scored again. Thornton made two foul shots with 13.1 seconds left to seal it ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Valkyries drop WNBA opener in a party not even Sparks' Kelsey Plum could spoil
SAN FRANCISCO — Kelsey Plum torched the home squad. The visiting Los Angeles Sparks walked away with an 84-67 win. Still, the sellout crowd at Chase Center punctuated the night with a rousing ovation. History was made. Professional women's basketball was back in the Bay Area, forever a hotbed for the sport. The 18,064 fans understood the assignment. This was a violet party, one even Plum couldn't ruin. Advertisement She lit up the Golden State Valkyries with an array of shots, stepbacks and crafty drives, and finished with 37 points on 19 shots in her Sparks debut. Plum's performance highlighted the expansion struggles of the hosts. Golden State simply doesn't have a star on that level yet. Tiffany Hayes, a former teammate of Plum's in Las Vegas, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The reigning Sixth Woman of the Year emerged as the go-to scorer for the Valkyries. Temi Fágbénlé had 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting with a team-high four assists. Julie Vanloo had 14 points in 27 minutes off the bench, catching fire from deep for a stretch. She wound up taking minutes from Kate Martin, who struggled in her debut with a new team. Martin — the Valkyries' first pick in the expansion draft and fan favorite from her Iowa days alongside Caitlin Clark — finished with just 2 points. She took only three shots in 21 minutes, missing all three. She was a microcosm of the offensive struggles Golden State will have this season. The Valkyries shot 36.5 percent from the field, including 9 of 35 from 3-point range. Their 22 turnovers led to 25 points for the Sparks. Advertisement But this night wasn't about wins and losses. It was about the dawning of an era. It was about a region in America ever important for the women's game, for its support of Stanford basketball and for the talent it produces, finally getting a WNBA team. The last professional team in these parts was the San Jose Laser of the American Basketball League, owned by the same Lacob who now owns the Warriors and Valkyries. The ABL began in 1996 and lost out in its competition with the NBA-backed WNBA. In 1998, the ABL folded. The Bay Area had to travel to Sacramento for the Monarchs to get pro action. But they folded in 2009. Now, 16 years later, the WNBA is home where it belongs. In the Bay Area. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert graced the inaugural game of the league's first expansion franchise since 2008. Comedian and actor Ali Wong, a San Francisco native, headlined the celebrity presence along with E-40. Advertisement Golden State's NBA team, recently bounced from the postseason, had a strong presence at the Valkyries opener. Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga sat courtside with owner Joe Lacob, a conspicuous pairing considering Kuminga is a restricted free agent. Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat courtside with his wife, Margot. And next to him was Doc Rivers, a surprise guest in support of Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, who was part of Rivers' staff with the LA Clippers. Buddy Hield sat courtside with his daughter. Perhaps no one had more fun than Brandon Podziemski. He jumped out of his chair and flexed his Valkyries jersey when his presence was announced. During a fourth-quarter timeout, he tossed T-shirts into the crowd. When Vanloo drilled her third consecutive 3, Podziemski was practically on the court celebrating. His mood was appropriate. This was a party in Chase Center. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Golden State Valkyries, WNBA 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Valkyries drop WNBA opener in a party not even Sparks' Kelsey Plum could spoil
SAN FRANCISCO — Kelsey Plum torched the home squad. The visiting Los Angeles Sparks walked away with an 84-67 win. Still, the sellout crowd at Chase Center punctuated the night with a rousing ovation. History was made. Professional women's basketball was back in the Bay Area, forever a hotbed for the sport. The 18,064 fans understood the assignment. This was a violet party, one even Plum couldn't ruin. Advertisement She lit up the Golden State Valkyries with an array of shots, stepbacks and crafty drives, and finished with 37 points on 19 shots in her Sparks debut. Plum's performance highlighted the expansion struggles of the hosts. Golden State simply doesn't have a star on that level yet. Tiffany Hayes, former teammates with Plum in Las Vegas, finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. The reigning Sixth Woman of the Year emerged as the go-to scorer for Valkyries. Temi Fágbénlé had 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting with a team-high four assists. Julie Vanloo had 14 points in 27 minutes off the bench, catching fire from deep for a stretch. She wound up taking minutes from Kate Martin, who struggled in her debut with a new team. Martin — the Valkyries first pick in the expansion draft and fan favorite from her Iowa days alongside Caitlin Clark — finished with just two points. She only took three shots in 21 minutes, missing all three. She was a microcosm for the offensive struggles Golden State will have this season. The Valkyries shot 36.5 percent from the field, including 9-of-35 from 3-point range. Their 22 turnovers led to 25 points for the Sparks. But this night wasn't about wins and losses. It was about the dawning of an era. It was about a region in America ever important for the women's game, for its support of Stanford basketball and for the talent it produces, finally getting a WNBA team. The last professional team in these parts were the San Jose Laser of the American Basketball league, owned by the same Lacob who now owns the Warriors and Valkyries. The ABL began in 1996 and lost out in its competition with the NBA-backed WNBA. In 1998, the ABL folded. The Bay Area had to travel to Sacramento for the Monarchs to get pro action. But they folded in 2009. Now, 16 years later, the WNBA is home where it belongs. In the Bay Area. Advertisement WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert graced the inaugural game of the league's first expansion franchise since 2008. Comedian and actress Ali Wong, a San Francisco native, headlined the celebrity presence along with E-40. Golden State's NBA team, recently bounced from the postseason, had a strong presence at the Valkyries opener. Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga sat courtside with owner Joe Lacob, a conspicuous pairing considering Kuminga is a restricted free agent. Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat courtside with his wife Margot. And next to him was Doc Rivers, a surprise guest in support of Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, who was part of Rivers' staff with the Clippers. Buddy Hield sat courtside with his daughter. Perhaps no one had more fun than Brandon Podziemski. He jumped out of his chair and flexed his Valkyries jersey when his presence was announced. During a fourth-quarter timeout, he tossed t-shirts into the crowd. When Vanloo drilled her third consecutive three, Podziemski was practically on the court celebrating. His mood was appropriate. This was a party in Chase Center.
