Valkyries find way to win late against Sky behind career nights from Kayla Thornton, Kaitlyn Chen

SAN FRANCISCO — For most of Friday’s game against the Chicago Sky, the Valkyries didn’t look like themselves. 

The usually heady, efficient team struggled to make shots, take care of the ball and string together solid defensive possessions. 

But none of that mattered as Golden State escaped with a 83-78 win over the struggling Sky in front of 18,064 fans – the team’s ninth consecutive home sellout. 

Kayla Thornton scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed six rebounds. Kaitlyn Chen also had a career night with 10 points. Kate Martin had 11 points.

Sky center Angel Reese totaled 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. 

The Valkyries took a two-point lead into the final quarter and were neck-and-neck with the Sky throughout the first few minutes of the period.

The Valkyries capped off a 7-0 run on a steal and score from Thornton that forced Chicago coach Tyler Marsh to call a timeout and made the score 71-64. 

Golden State didn’t allow Chicago to get back in the game as they outpaced the Sky with a flurry of buckets from Martin and Thornton.

The Sky brought the game back to within three with 22.1 seconds left, but a costly foul from Angel Reese led to two made free throws from Tiffany Hayes that iced the game.

The first half was choppy for the Valkyries. Despite Chicago having one of the worst defenses in the league, Golden State shot just 34.3% from the field and committed eight turnovers. 

Thornton was on the bench for the majority of the first 20 minutes as she picked up two early fouls and was hit in the face inadvertently by Reese in the first quarter. 

She led the Valkyries with 15 points in the first half. Backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen gave the Valkyries a boost, scoring seven off the bench. 

Golden State led by as much as nine in the second quarter and took a 39-34 lead at halftime. 

The Valkyries will finish their five-game   on Sunday when they play the Seattle Storm.