Veronica Burton had a game-high 16 points as part of a balanced attack, Cecilia Zandalasini led a strong defensive effort with two steals and two blocks, and the Golden State Valkyries held the visiting Los Angeles Sparks to a season-low point total en route to a 72-59 victory Saturday night in San Francisco.
Zandalasini buried four 3-pointers to account for a majority of her 14 points, while Burton and Janelle Salaun connected on three apiece as the Valkyries used superior shooting from both inside and outside the arc to win for the third time in their four-game season series with the rival Sparks.
Coming off three straight wins in which they topped 100 points in each, the Sparks shot just 32.8 percent overall and 23.5 percent on 3-pointers. Their 59 points were seven fewer than their previous season-low, accumulated in a loss at Minnesota in June.
The Valkyries, who entered the contest on a two-game losing streak, took the lead for good in the game’s fourth minute on a Tiffany Hayes hoop and were up 33-23 at halftime after limiting the visitors to nine points in the second quarter. Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby, the Sparks’ two leading scorers who entered the game with a combined 38.1 scoring average, were both held scoreless in the first 20 minutes.
Plum had four quick points to start the third quarter, and when Hamby finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer 90 seconds into the period, the Valkyries were forced to call a timeout, their lead having been trimmed to three.
Burton immediately countered with a three-point play and Golden State kept Los Angeles at arm’s length the rest of the way, breaking a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Salaun finished with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Valkyries, while Hayes contributed eight points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists to the cause.
Hamby bounced back from her scoreless first half to pace the Sparks with 15 points. Julie Allemand and Rae Burrell had 10 apiece for the visitors, who began the night third in the WNBA in scoring with an 86.6-point average.
Plum, who had 37 points on her previous visit to San Francisco on Opening Night, finished with four points on 1-for-9 shooting overall and 0-for-4 on threes.
–Field Level Media
