Valkyries Hold Off Sparks 84-78 Behind Zandalasini’s Shooting and Salaün’s Clutch Three

The Golden State Valkyries built a 19-point lead and held off a late Los Angeles Sparks rally Sunday night, defeating the Sparks 84-78 at Crypto.com Arena.

Golden State jumped out to a 29-15 lead after the first quarter, its highest-scoring quarter of the season. The Valkyries maintained control through three quarters, taking a 64-47 advantage into the fourth before Los Angeles mounted a furious comeback.

Cecilia Zandalasini led the Valkyries with 15 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range. Her five made threes were a new season high. She also finished with seven rebounds, two assists and one steal. Zandalasini scored Golden State’s first points of the game, marking the 11th time this season she has done so, the most of any Valkyries player.

Zandalasini was especially effective early, scoring nine points in the opening quarter while making all three of her shots from the field and from three-point range.

Tiffany Hayes added 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line. She also had three rebounds and two assists in 18:41. Kayla Thornton recorded 11 points and seven rebounds, six of them defensive.

Veronica Burton provided a strong all-around performance with seven points, a team-high seven assists and a team-high three steals. Kiah Stokes grabbed seven rebounds, including five offensive, and added three assists.

Janelle Salaün finished with eight points and two three-pointers, including the biggest of the night. With 34.5 seconds remaining and Golden State leading 76-73, Salaün knocked down a 26-foot three-pointer off an assist from Burton to push the Valkyries’ lead to six.

Los Angeles continued to fight after the shot. Rae Burrell answered with a three-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to four, but Burton sealed the victory by making both of her free throws with 4.7 seconds left.

The Sparks outscored Golden State 31-20 in the fourth quarter, shooting 65 percent from the field during the period. Golden State, however, made six of seven free throws in the quarter and committed six turnovers that resulted in eight Sparks points.

Despite the fourth-quarter surge, the Valkyries had done enough damage earlier. They limited Los Angeles to 32 points in the first half, tying the Sparks’ lowest-scoring half against Golden State this season. The Valkyries led 45-32 at halftime after shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range.

Golden State also finished with 22 assists, reaching at least 20 assists for the sixth consecutive game. All 10 Valkyries who appeared scored in the game. The team shot 46.4 percent overall and 35.3 percent from three, finishing with 36 rebounds.

For head coach Natalie Nakase, the fourth-quarter push from Los Angeles underscored the need for Golden State to remain disciplined defensively.

“We’ve just got to make sure we maintain because they were really attacking the paint, putting their heads down, and attacking the paint,” Nakase said. “So we’ve just got to make sure we control the ball as best as we can, be in early shifts, not let up. We have to do a better job on the boards.”

Nakase also credited Burton’s leadership during the late stretch, along with the big shots from Williams and Salaün.

“It was really good in terms of V’s [Veronica Burton’s] leadership to compose, to call what she saw, and then big shots by Gabby [Williams] and Ja [Janelle Salaün] down the stretch.”

Nakase credited her players when asked about her success as a coach, emphasizing the work happening throughout the team rather than placing the focus on herself.

“It’s credit to my players. It really is. I’m not making one basket, y’all,” Nakase said. “I’m not making a clutch three like Ja [Janelle Salaün]. I’m not getting a big stop like Ja down the stretch. I’m not taking any charges. It’s the players, and so credit goes to them.”

She also highlighted the contributions of her coaching staff, saying their work extends beyond the X’s and O’s and includes being there for players when they need support.

Nakase also praised the Valkyries’ frontcourt. She called Stokes “a fighter” and pointed to her footwork, while crediting Thornton for attacking the boards and Salaün for continuing to develop.

“I thought they played bigger than their size today,” Nakase said.

Zandalasini called the victory important despite the way the second half unfolded.

“It’s a very good win for us because it wasn’t very pretty, especially in the second half,” Zandalasini said. “But we got to do a better job keeping the lead that we work hard to get.”

Thornton acknowledged that Golden State’s defense slipped in the fourth quarter but said the team remained together as Los Angeles made its push.

“I think we kind of relaxed on our defense a little bit. I think our communication wasn’t there, but like she said, it’s going to be like that. That’s playoff basketball,” Thornton said. “You’re going to have your highs and lows, but we stayed together.”

Thornton also had high praise for Zandalasini’s shooting performance.

“Man, that’s Ceci [Cecilia Zandalasini]. She’s a Zandalasini, you know. That’s what she does, man,” Thornton said. “The girl is just phenomenal. Italy’s best, y’all see it.”

The Valkyries return home Wednesday, August 12, with a 7:00 p.m. PT tipoff. The game will air on USA, KPIX+, KMAX, 95.7 The Game, the Audacy App and ESPN 1320.