Central Plains FFA Chapter

08/30 20:03 CDT Tiffany Hayes scores 18, Kayla Thornton 17 for Valkyries in 86-69 win over Fire Tiffany Hayes scores 18, Kayla Thornton 17 for Valkyries in 86-69 win over Fire PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) --- Tiffany Hayes scored 18 points, Kayla Thornton added 17 and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Portland Fire 86-69 on Sunday in their final game before the FIBA World Cup break. The Valkyries (29-11) pulled within two games of WNBA-leading Minnesota. Golden State has four games remaining and its opponents (Portland twice, Seattle and Los Angeles) have a winning percentage of .325 (39-81). The Lynx, who won the season series 2-1 and hold the playoff tiebreaker, play New York and Connecticut before back-to-back games against Indiana and Caitlin Clark --- those teams are a combined 60-59 (.504) --- to close the season. Kaitlyn Chen had 15 points for Golden State. Veronica Burton and Kaila Charles each scored 11. Chen hit a 3-pointer that capped a 13-0 run and gave Golden State a 15-4 lead a little more than five minutes into the game, and the Valkyries led by as many as 19 points in the first quarter. Jordan Harrison hit a 3-pointer that capped a 12-3 run and trimmed the Fire's deficit to 30-21 with six minutes to go in the first half. Kayla Thornton answered 14 seconds later with a short jumper that sparked a string of 15 consecutive Valkyries points as Portland went scoreless for the next five-plus minutes. Emily Engstler and Megan DiLeo scored 12 points apiece for the Fire (16-24) and Bridget Carleton added 11. All-Star Gabby Williams, Janelle Salan and Cecelia Zandalasini did not play for the Valkyries, while Portland's Carla Leite --- who leads the team in scoring (15.9 per game) and assists (6.3) --- and Frieda Buhner missed the game in preparation for the World Cup. The Fire won at Atlanta, 101-83, on Friday to snap a three-game skid.

Up next The teams play Sept. 18 at Golden State. ___ See AP's full WNBA coverage here