SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Veronica Burton had 25 points and six rebounds, Gabby Williams added 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and the Golden State Valkyries beat Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 90-88 on Thursday night.
Clark’s 3-pointer with 3:55 to play pulled Indiana to 81-80 and Aliyah Boston put the Fever ahead with a jumper the next time down. But Clark turned the ball over with 1:32 left and her team trailing by three then again with 1:06 to go before missing a 3 with 40 seconds remaining.
Indiana had another chance with 24.8 seconds left and Sophie Cunningham scored on an uncontested layup. Williams missed the first of two free throws on the other end. Boston missed a turnaround jumper as the final buzzer sounded — sending the celebratory sellout home crowd into a frenzy.
Clark finished with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds but struggled to find a shooting groove — she was 3 for 12 — at Chase Center again as Indiana had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Fever missed their initial eight 3-point attempts and were 3 of 12 at halftime.
Janelle Salaun came off the bench to contribute 19 points and seven rebounds for Golden State.
This was another physical game after a testy matchup won 90-82 by the Fever last Friday at Indiana that became heated between Clark and Tiffany Hayes when Clark signaled her hand at the Golden State guard and they exchanged words. Clark said before the rematch that she had moved on already.
The fans at Chase Center took every opportunity to show their displeasure with Clark, booing the star guard every time she touched the ball.
WINGS 95, ACES 87
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Azzi Fudd scored 22 points in her first WNBA start, Jessica Shepard had her second triple-double of the season and Dallas beat Las Vegas.
Shepard also scored 22 points to go with a career-high 20 rebounds and 10 assists. Her other triple-double this season (18 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists) came in a 99-89 win over Chicago on May 20.
Shepard scored 11 points in the third quarter, including a shot in the lane to tie it at 72 in the closing seconds. Shepard also opened the fourth with a basket to give Dallas its first lead, 74-72, since it led 17-16.
Shepard secured a triple-double when she found Awak Kuier for a 3-pointer with 2:57 remaining in the fourth to make it 90-81. Then, Paige Bueckers added a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 12-point lead.
Bueckers added 20 points and six assists for Dallas (5-3), which lost five straight games to the Aces last season. Kuier finished with 12 points and Arike Ogunbowale was limited to just 18 minutes due to an illness. Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the draft in April, was coming off a 24-point performance as a reserve against New York.
A’ja Wilson scored 21 points for Las Vegas (4-3), which has lost back-to-back games. Jackie Young added 15 points and Chennedy Carter scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half. NaLyssa Smith grabbed 12 rebounds to go with nine points.
