Kayla Thornton put the Golden State Valkyries on her shoulders when the defending champions still believed they could steal one.
The forward finished with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds Friday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena, powering an 87-77 overtime win that swept the Las Vegas Aces in three games and sent Golden State to its first WNBA Finals.
ESPN's box score lists Thornton at 5-of-12 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and 6-of-7 from the line in 33 minutes, with four offensive boards and a plus-16 that led the starters.
It was the largest deficit of the series for the Valkyries - about 11 points early in the third - and the first time they trailed by double digits against Las Vegas. Thornton helped flip the night.
Her left-wing three during Golden State's 17-0 third-quarter burst made her the first Valkyrie into double figures, and the same stretch held the Aces to seven points in the period, matching Las Vegas' fewest in any postseason quarter in franchise history, according to the team recap.
Closing regulation, then finishing the job
The Aces rebuilt a six-point edge late in the fourth. With 1:50 left and Golden State down two, Gabby Williams stripped A'ja Wilson and found Thornton in transition. The layup tied it 69-69. Veronica Burton later nudged the Valkyries ahead before Jackie Young answered to force overtime.
In the extra period, Golden State outscored Las Vegas 16-6 and went 8-for-8 from the foul line. Thornton, Williams, and Tiffany Hayes accounted for all of the Valkyries' overtime points, per ESPN's Kendra Andrews. Thornton closed as the night's top scorer on a roster that put four players in double figures.
Kiah Stokes added 11 points and 10 rebounds on a perfect 5-for-5 night for her first career playoff double-double. Hayes scored 11 off the bench and crossed 500 career postseason points. The Valkyries forced 15 turnovers and recorded 12 steals as a team.
