UTEP Star, Irvin Grad Kayla Thornton Hoists WNBA Championship with New York Liberty

Add Kayla Thornton's name to the list of El Pasoans who won a championship.

On Sunday night, New York was crowned WNBA champions, defeating the Minnesota Lynx, 67-62 (overtime), in a back-and-forth decisive game five matchup.

On her 32nd birthday, Thornton, a defensive specialist for the stacked Liberty squad, contributed two points, two rebounds, a block, and a steal in the win. New York had four players in double-figures scoring, including Jonquel Jones' 17 points and six rebounds.

The UTEP standout becomes the first former women's basketball player to win a title in the WNBA. Thornton is the third UTEP alum turned WNBA player and she's also the longest-tenured. Miner alums like Natasha Lacy (2010-14) and Sparkle Taylor (2017-20) played in the league, while Thornton's nine-year career (2015-present) should be viewed as a proud accomplishment for the El Pasoan.

Thornton's former coaches at UTEP took to social media last night to show love for the WNBA championship finish.

Thornton played in all 40 games for the Liberty this year, averaging 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 20 minutes per game. She could be considered one of the top role players on the Liberty, who also made it to the WNBA Finals last year but lost to Las Vegas.

Prior to these two seasons in New York, Thornton spent five productive seasons with the Dallas Wings (2017-22). She went undrafted in 2015 and joined the Washington Mystics before she was released.

At UTEP, she was a two-time All CUSA honoree (2012 & 2013). She finished her four-year careers with 21 double-doubles, 668 rebounds and over 1,000-points (1,016). At Irvin High School, she was the all-time school record holder in career points (1,953) and totaled 884 rebounds over four years. She had a 54-point game against Riverside once (11/24/2009), and also competed in track and field in high school.

Southern Utah Beats UTEP, 27-24, in Overtime

Gallery Credit: Jorge Salgado