Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER
The Valkyries turned Caitlyn Clark’s first visit to the Bay Area into a dud, staging a stunning fourth quarter comeback to stun the Indiana Fever 88-77 at Chase Center Thursday night.
Kayla Thornton gets off a shot on the way to a team leading 16 points during the Valkyries 88-77 win over the Indiana Fever.
A Kelsey Mitchell layup gave the Fever a 54-41 lead midway through the third quarter and it looked as if Indiana was pulling away, but the expansion Valkyries would quickly flip the script, outscoring the Fever by 24 points over the final 14 minutes of the game to shockingly win going away.
Kayla Thornton led the way for the Valkyries again with a team leading 16 points and six rebounds in just 20 minutes of action. It was Thornton’s fifth straight game with at least 15 points and her 11th straight game scoring in double digits.
Caitlyn Clark was held to a season low tying 11 points, finishing 0-7 from three point range, just the second time this season she’s been shut out from beyond the arc. The Fever finished the game with 16 turnovers, nine more than the Valkyries. Golden State’s seven tied for the second fewest by a WNBA team this season.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever goes up for a shot during the Golden State Valkyries 88-77 win at Chase Center Thursday night.
Golden State finished with 45 points off the bench, led by Tiffany Hayes with 14 and a team high five assists. Chloe Bibby added 12 points in her Valkyries debut. Veronica Burton chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.
Asked about the teams strong bench play after the game, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase stated ““Our team just stays ready. I think it’s credit to my coaching staff. But credit to the players that just stay ready and want to work extra. They’re not just working, they work extra. So just credit to Chloe (Bibby), our whole bench, Laeticia Amihere. Tiffany Hayes is not really our bench. But Tiffany and Kate (Martin), Kate went out there and balled her ass off.”
Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever blocks a shot attempt by Veronica Burton during the Valkyries 88-77 win at Chase Center.
Aliyah Boston paced Indiana with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Mitchell added 16 while Natasha Howard netted 13. Both the Valkyries and Fever stand at 6-6 following the game.
The Valkyries return to action Sunday with a 5:30 tip off against the Connecticut Sun in the second game of their season high five game home stand.
