After trailing for much of the game, the Sparks rallied in the fourth before coming up short against the Valkyries on Sunday, 84-78.
The Sparks trailed from the jump and saw the deficit sit at double figures for large portions of the game. But a late comeback attempt saw them close the gap to one point in the final minutes.
Golden State had the responses when they needed them, including some timely 3-pointers from Tiffany Hayes and Janelle Salaun in the closing stretch. The Sparks had chances to respond
but could not get the big shots to fall late.
The Valkyries jumped out to a quick five-point lead in the first period. Erica Wheeler had LA’s response, scoring four in a row to cut the deficit to one. Golden State answered by scoring nine points straight.
Dearica Hamby stopped the bleeding for Los Angeles with a triple, but Golden State pushed their lead to 10 early on.
Cameron Brink provided some energy when she was subbed in, but the Sparks were still struggling mightily. LA had zero answers for Cecilia Zandalasini, who was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc.
Kiana Williams scored a much-needed seven points off the bench for Los Angeles. Still, at the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by 14.
The second period began with Ariel Atkins draining a 3-pointer for the Sparks. Laeticia Amihere responded with a layup on the other end. Golden State was shooting 33% early in the quarter, while LA was mounting a comeback with 40% shooting from the field.
Wheeler cut the deficit to 10 with a triple. Out of a Valkyries timeout, Kayla Thornton drained a 3-pointer.
Williams scored on her second triple of the half. She now had 10 points off the bench, leading all players. At the 2:49 mark, the Sparks were down by 11.
LA had been able to cut the deficit to single digits, but the Valkyries pushed their lead back to double figures, going into halftime up by 13.
Hamby got things going for Los Angeles in the third period with a layup. Veronica Burton scored on a layup on the other end for Golden State. Zandalasini was still hot, draining another three to make her 5-5 from behind the arc. Nneka Ogwumike had four points, trying to wheel the team back into the game.
Unfortunately for LA, Rae Burrell had still not scored a single point. Likely related, Los Angeles was down by 17 with 4:25 left.
Nneka’s offensive takeover in the quarter put her at 12 points total in the game, one of only two Sparks in double figures. However, the Valkyries were able to carry that 17-point lead heading into the final frame.
Kaitlyn Chen started the final frame with a layup for the Valkyries. Burrell got her first points of the game, scoring four. Brink pitched in with five points, swinging the momentum in their favor for a potential comeback.
Los Angeles was on a 9-0 scoring run, making it an eight-point game with 5:27 left. Burton stopped that run by converting on a three-point play for the Valkyries.
The Sparks once again added to their run by scoring five in a row, battling and fighting hard. They were down by six with 3:37 left.
Nneka and Atkins scored a combined five to make it a one-point game. On the other end, Tiffany Hayes drained a clutch three. Wheeler responded with a triple of her own for Los Angeles.
With 1:03 remaining, Gabby Williams scored two in the paint to make it a three-point game. Nneka pulled up for the triple on the other end but missed.
Janelle Salaun knocked down a big-time 3-pointer for the Valkyries, giving them a six-point lead with 33.7 seconds left. LA had two more attempts to respond, but Wheeler missed two threes.
Thornton was fouled and converted on both free throws to seal the win for Golden State.
Key Player Stats
Nneka finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Hamby ended with 12 points and three rebounds. Wheeler pitched in with 15 points and four assists. Brink notched seven points with seven rebounds and two steals.
Williams had a big game off the bench with 10 points and three assists. Burrell logged nine points with two rebounds. Atkins had nine points with four assists.
The Sparks’ next game will be against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday at 7:00 PM PT.
