Kelsey Plum scores 37 points to lead the Sparks to an 84-67 win in the Valkyries' debut

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kelsey Plum scored 26 of her 37 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Sparks spoiled the first game in Golden State Valkyries history with a 84-67 victory Friday night.

Even the loss couldn't dampen the excitement from the sellout crowd of 18,064 at the arena that has been transformed into Valkyries purple rather than the typical court for the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

The Valkyries are the WNBA's first expansion franchise since 2008 and bring professional women's basketball to the Bay Area.

Dearica Hamby added 14 points and Rickea Jackson scored 13 for the Sparks, who won in their first game under new coach Lynne Roberts.

Kayla Thornton scored the first basket in Valkyries history on the team’s first possession and there were quickly chants of “G-S-V! G-S-V!”

Tiffany Hayes scored 19 points to lead Golden State, Temi Fagbenle added 15 and Julie Vanloo scored 14.

After winning two titles in her final three seasons in Las Vegas, Plum was traded in the offseason to Los Angeles in a three-team deal that also included Seattle.

She made an impressive debut with her new team with the second-highest scoring game of her career, taking over on the offensive end in the third quarter as Los Angeles built its lead to 15 points.

But three straight 3-pointers from Vanloo cut the deficit back to six points and brought some of the biggest cheers to the crowd as the Valkyries kept it close into the fourth quarter.

Sparks guard Rae Burrell had to be carried off the court late in the first quarter after she injured herself when fouling Carla Leite on a 3-point attempt. Burrell was down for a few minutes with an injury to her right leg.

Los Angeles hosts Minnesota on Sunday in its home opener. The Valkyries host Washington next Wednesday.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton, bottom right, shoots against Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, left, and guard Sarah Ashlee Barker during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, foreground, reacts after a score by Golden State Valkyries' Julie Vanloo during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, middle, shoots against Golden State Valkyries guard Julie Vanloo (35) and guard Tiffany Hayes (15) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The Golden State Valkyries are introduced for a WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10) celebrates after scoring against the Golden State Valkyries during the second half of a WNBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)