Alyssa Thomas capped a frantic finish by making the second of two free throws with one second remaining, breaking a tie and giving the visiting Phoenix Mercury a 78-77 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Monday night.
Thomas’ free throw came after the Valkyries, attempting to avenge an earlier loss at Phoenix, rallied from a four-point deficit with 15.1 seconds left behind a trey and 17-foot field goal by Janelle Salaun in a four-second flurry that sandwiched a DeWanna Bonner free throw.
Salaun’s tying hoop came with 6.1 seconds remaining, allowing the Mercury, after advancing the ball with a timeout, to get the ball to Thomas rolling to the hoop. She drew a foul on a point-blank attempt, then missed her first free throw before making her second.
Bonner (game-high 22 points, game-high 11 rebounds) and Thomas (17 points, game-high 11 assists) both finished with double-doubles for the Mercury, who won a third straight despite suiting up only eight players due to three injuries.
Veronica Burton had a team-highs of 17 points and six assists for the Valkyries, who lost for the fourth time in their last five games.
The Valkyries led 69-66 with 4:32 to play before Thomas came alive late, hitting two hoops and then assisting Bonner, a recent roster addition, for a layup that gave Phoenix a 75-72 lead with 51.1 seconds left.
Kathryn Westbeld added 14 points for the Mercury, 12 of which coming on 4-for-8 accuracy from long distance. Teammates Bonner (3-for-4), Monique Akoa Makani (3-for-6) and Sami Whitcomb (2-for-5) also drilled multiple 3-pointers for the visitors, who shot 12-for-29 (41.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
Golden State was even better from deep, making 14 of 33 (42.4 percent). Burton had 12 of her 17 points on 4-for-8 3-point attempts, while Tiffany Hayes also made four — in just five attempts — as part of a 15-point night.
Salaun totaled 12 points and Monique Billings added 10 to go with a team-high nine rebounds for Golden State.
–Field Level Media
