The Los Angeles Sparks dropped an 84-78 game to the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday, despite a wild fourth-quarter comeback attempt that brought them within one point in the final minutes. You just hate to see that kind of fight come up short.
Valkyries Jumped Out Early, Sparks Had Zero Answers
The Sparks were playing catch-up from the jump in this one, with the deficit hanging in double figures for large portions of the game. Golden State jumped out to a quick five-point lead in the first period before Erica Wheeler managed to hit four straight points, cutting the lead to just one. But Golden State had the answer immediately, ripping off nine straight points. Dearica Hamby tried to stop the bleeding with a triple, yet the Valkyries pushed their lead to 10 points early. They were absolutely shooting lights out, going 7-10 from the field and leading 17-7. Cameron Brink tried to provide some energy when she got subbed in, but the Sparks were still struggling mightily. They had zero answers for Cecilia Zandalasini, who was a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc. Kiana Williams gave a much-needed seven points off the bench, but at the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by 14. Brutal.
LA Tried to Rally, But Golden State Had the Responses
The second period began with Ariel Atkins draining a 3-pointer for the Sparks, and Laeticia Amihere responded with a layup on the other end. Early in the quarter, Golden State was shooting 33% but LA was mounting a comeback, hitting 40% from the field. Wheeler cut the deficit to 10 with another triple. Out of a Valkyries timeout, Kayla Thornton drained a 3-pointer that just killed the momentum. Williams scored her second triple of the half, giving her 10 points off the bench and leading all players at that point. Still, at the 2:49 mark, the Sparks were down by 11. They kept fighting and managed to cut the deficit to single digits, but the Valkyries pushed their lead back to double figures, going into halftime up by 13, 45-32. This was an ugly game for LA at the break, shooting just 38% from the field and struggling to grab rebounds or take care of the ball. Hamby got things going for Los Angeles in the third period with a layup, but Veronica Burton scored a layup on the other end for Golden State. Zandalasini was still hot, draining another three. Even with a late comeback attempt that got them within one point in the final minutes, Golden State found responses, including timely 3-pointers from Tiffany Hayes and Janelle Salaun. The Sparks just couldn’t get their big shots to fall late.
This was a tough one for the Sparks. Showing that kind of fight to get back into it is huge, but you gotta hit those big shots when it counts. Cleaning up the shooting and those turnovers is gonna be key moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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