San Francisco, CA — Kayla Thornton delivered a career-best performance with 29 points, leading the Golden State Valkyries to a hard-fought 83-78 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night.
Thornton’s hot hand from deep proved decisive — her fourth three-pointer of the night came with just under two minutes to play, pushing Golden State ahead 78-70. But the Sky weren’t finished. Chicago answered with a quick 4-0 run, capped by Angel Reese’s putback following an offensive rebound with 1:11 left, narrowing the gap.
With the shot clock winding down, Thornton drew a foul and sank one of two free throws to extend the Valkyries’ lead to 79-74. Reese kept the Sky within reach with another second-chance bucket, but veteran guard Tiffany Hayes secured the win at the line, sinking a pair of free throws in the closing moments.
Hayes finished with 13 points, while Kate Martin chipped in 11 and Kaitlyn Chen added 10 for Golden State (7-8).
For Chicago (4-11), Ariel Atkins led the way with 20 points. Reese continued her dominant stretch on the glass, posting 17 points and 18 rebounds — her third straight game with at least 15 boards. Kia Nurse added 17 points, 12 of which came in the first half, and Rachel Banham contributed 11. The Sky were without rookie center Kamilla Cardoso, who missed the game due to overseas obligations.
