Sparks' furious fourth-quarter comeback fades in loss to Valkyries

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Although not an official rivalry steeped in tradition just yet, the competitiveness between California’s two WNBA teams suggests the start of one.

The Golden State Valkyries made their first road trip to Southern California on Friday to face the Sparks in a matchup between one of the league’s charter members and its newest team.

With both teams trying to jump start new eras for their respective franchises, the meeting marked their third clash in as many weeks. This time, the Valkyries got their revenge, holding off a late Sparks comeback in an 82-73 win.

What began as a back-and-forth battle quickly underscored how evenly matched the two teams are despite being at different stages. The final score suggested a close game, but for much of the night, it looked like it would be a Valkyries rout.

The Sparks surged to an early 20-9 lead behind strong play from Odyssey Sims, Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby. Sims hit three early three-pointers and Plum added six points fueled by defensive pressure and steals. Hamby anchored the interior with physical play.

But much like their previous two matchups, inconsistency quickly crept in for the Sparks (1-3). The Sparks' struggles emerged after halftime in their last two games. This time, the unraveling came earlier.

A second-quarter collapse — marked by defensive breakdowns and offensive stagnation — put L.A. in a hole too big to overcome. Entering the period with a two-point lead, Golden State went on an 18-0 run to take a 45-26 lead.

Golden State (2-1) shot 10 for 18 (55.6%) from the field in the second quarter, looking every bit like a team determined to avenge its two earlier losses — one in the preseason and the other in their season opener.

Meanwhile, the Sparks appeared far removed from the cohesion and toughness they showed in a loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday — the kind of progress coach Lynne Roberts pointed to as a sign of early-season growth. The Sparks didn’t register a field goal in the second quarter until the 2:36 mark.

L.A. trailed 49-35 at halftime after shooting just 2 for 16 from the field and scoring nine points in the second quarter.

Golden State's lead hovered around 15 points for much of the third quarter. The Sparks only began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth quarter.

A three-pointer from Plum cut the Valkyries' lead to 73-63 with just under six minutes remaining. Moments later, Hamby powered to the rim through heavy contact, converting a tough layup and drawing the foul. Her successful free throw made it an eight-point game.

Hamby continued to take charge, shooting a three-pointer with 2:32 left to make it a five-point game. But that was as close as the Sparks would get after Hamby fouled Kayla Thornton on a three-point attempt. Thornton made all three of her free-throw attempts.

Hamby scored 10 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter. She also had six rebounds and three blocks. Plum contributed 16 points and four steals. Sims finished with 13 points as the Sparks suffered their third consecutive loss.

Carla Leite led Golden State with 19 points.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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