Kayla Thornton, Valkyries sink Sparks in overtime

Field Level Media|published: Tue 10th June, 24:42 2025

Jun 9, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) shoots the ball against Golden State Valkyries guard Julie Vanloo (35), forward Kayla Thornton (5) and center Temi Fagbenle (14) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kayla Thornton and Tami Fagbenle each recorded a double-double while leading the visiting Golden State Valkyries to an 89-81 overtime win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday.

Thornton put an exclamation point on her 18-point, 11-rebound performance in the final minute of the extra period when she came up with a board in traffic while Golden State nursed an 84-81 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Los Angeles defenders attempted to trap Carla Leite off of a pick-and-roll. Thornton popped to the left wing and was wide-open for a clutch 3-pointer when Leite found her with a high-arcing pass.

Thornton's triple with 38.6 seconds left effectively put away a second consecutive win for the expansion Valkyries (4-5).

Fagbenle finished with 14 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots, while Janelle Salaun led Golden State with 21 points.

Los Angeles' Kelsey Plum led all scorers with 24 points, and she came inches away from ending the game in regulation.

Plum created a good look in the paint just before the buzzer, driving into the paint off of a pump-fake from the top of the key. Her floater fell short, and Thornton secured the rebound to ensure overtime.

Los Angeles (3-7) managed just one field goal in the extra frame, which came on a Plum jumper. Plum also dished a game-high seven assists.

Dearica Hamby was the only other Sparks player to score in double figures, posting 20 points. She added a team-high nine rebounds.

Five Golden State scorers reached double figures, with Leite going for 15 points off the bench and Monique Billings adding 10 in reserve duty. Veronica Burton added another nine points for Golden State, with seven coming at the free-throw line.

Burton's lone made field goal came early in the overtime to give Golden State the lead for good after Los Angeles struck first on an Azura Stevens free throw. The Valkyries limited Stevens to just six points on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor.

The contest was part of the Commissioner's Cup, with Golden State improving to 2-2 while Los Angeles slipped to 1-2.

--Field Level Media

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