The Valkyries had a perfect opportunity to clinch the No. 6 seed on Tuesday night against the Seattle Storm.

All they needed to do was win.

Golden State was in control for most of the game, but fell apart late as the expansion team’s hot shooting cooled down in the fourth quarter in a 74-73 loss on the road.

Janelle Salaün led Golden State 22 points. Veronica Burton had 14 points and 11 assists in the loss. Kaila Charles added 12 points.

Former Stanford star Nneka Ogwumike led Seattle with 18 points. The Storm clinched their spot in the playoffs with a win and eliminated the Los Angeles Sparks from contention.

Golden State looked poised to break away in the third quarter, taking a seven-point lead to open the second half. Seattle responded with a 7-0 run of their own, but a barrage of

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