The Golden State Valkyries hosted the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Sunday and looked to continue their strong homestand. The game was close throughout the first half, but the visitors built up a big lead with a dominant third quarter and even a late push could not put a dent in it, defeating the Valkyries 91-81. Golden State has one more game left before their next road trip, which will also mark the start of this year’s Commissioner’s Cup competition.
The Lineup
There was big news for the Valkyries as Cecilia Zandalasini replaced Kaila Charles in the starting lineup. It made some sense for this matchup as defensive matchups left some flexibility to tilt towards offense with the first group. The rotations worked mostly the same with the two players flipped. Neither Miela Sowah nor Ashten Prechtel were set as active for this game. The late news from the Aces was that Jewell Loyd would miss the game, not affecting their starting lineup, but changing how they could utilize players off of the bench.
First Quarter
Las Vegas opened the scoring as the Valkyries missed two early three-point attempts, but Veronica Burton scored the first points after making a nice read on a drive for the layup. Gabby Williams scored next as the Aces found more success in the paint even as they struggled on jumpshots. Williams made the first three-pointer, but the Aces answered before the media timeout.
Las Vegas scored first after the stoppage with a free throw and threatened to build a bigger lead, but Golden State made three-pointers on three straight trips down the floor to take the lead as Williams connected again before two makes from Kayla Thornton. The Aces took the lead again with more points in the paint, but Kaitlyn Chen was next beyond the arc as the bench unit took the floor. Las Vegas tied it again twice with free throws, but Janelle Salaun hit a very long two-pointer and Tiffany Hayes made two free throws for a 23-21 lead.
Second Quarter
Neither team was able to score early in the quarter, leading to a quick Valkyries timeout. Golden State’s defensive scheme had involved helping off of Stephanie Talbot to try to slow down the paint scoring with rotations designed to contest shots when she got the ball. She made her former team pay twice, including the first basket for either team to give the Aces the lead again. Veronica Burton answered the first make and then Gabby Williams drew a foul on her for two free throws. Las Vegas made their third consecutive three-pointer, but Cecilia Zandalasini tied the score on a layup and then grabbed a rebound, brought the ball up the court, and pulled up well behind the line to prompt an Aces timeout.
Las Vegas scored the next three baskets, pushing their advantage in the paint again. Zandalasini and Janelle Salaun made consecutive three-pointers to restore the lead, but A’ja Wilson’s dominance continued with five more points, including a key basket after Aces won a jumpball. Tiffany Hayes split the defense for a layup for the only Valkyries scoring in the last two minutes, leaving them trailing 43-41.
Third Quarter
The Aces scored two quick baskets, leading to another early Valkyries timeout before a free throw completed a three-point play. There was another quick stoppage to review a Veronica Burton foul that was not upgraded and then one more that did result in a flagrant foul that allowed Gabby Williams to make a pair of free throws.
Golden State’s field goal drought stretched to nearly six minutes spanning halftime before Kayla Thornton made a three-pointer. That was the closest that they would get for the rest of the game as Las Vegas found rhythm on offense, including three three-pointers from Jackie Young. The only Valkyries scoring during that stretch came from a Cecilia Zandalasini free throw, but she thought that she got fouled on the next possession, committing a transition take foul in frustration to give the Aces another free throw. Janelle Salaun made a three-pointer and Laeticia Amihere made two free throws, but defensive stops were hard to come by. Kaitlyn made a layup near the end of the quarter that was quickly answered for a 72-54 deficit.
Fourth Quarter
Stephanie Talbot made two free throws for the first points of this quarter as the Valkyries were not quite ready to concede, getting a three-point play from Janelle Salaun and a free throw from Tiffany Hayes before the starters all returned. Las Vegas continued to score in the paint as Kayla Thornton did make a three-pointer while Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton did have some success driving in for layups as the margin was around the same at the halfway point.
After not playing in the first half again, Juste Jocyte entered the game with neither team scoring until Williams made a three-pointer. She missed her first shot, but also made a three-pointer before finding Williams for another long-range make. The 11-0 run forced a Las Vegas timeout and the Valkyries got the stop that they needed, but Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who was the last player to enter the game, turned the ball over in the excitement of trying to get the team into their offense quickly. While they played out the rest of the game hard, including getting Janelle Salaun free throws and a three-pointer as well as Jocyte free throws, they were never really in position to challenge again as the final margin was 91-81.
Player of the Game
Even with the game getting out of hand in the second half, there were several strong individual performances as we will give the honor to Kayla Thornton for this game. She had a solid offensive game, but the team is relying on her specifically for an additional difficult role on defense. The Valkyries have experimented more and more in recent games with a smaller lineup that does not include a natural post player and that was the case again in this game. She did her best in matchups where she was giving up significant height as the center, which she often has to do as the starting power forward too with the team having less post options than last year.
The Verdict
This was a rather unusual game as the Valkyries made it tough for the Aces at times on offense, making just enough shots to stay in the lead. Golden State struggled all game long when it came to finishing in the paint, a mix of taking on defenders when that was not the best option and missing higher percentage opportunities. Las Vegas eventually started to break through in the second half and the Valkyries could not match them, eventually losing despite a strong outside shooting performance. After having more days between recent games, the team will have to regroup quickly to turn the page of the start of the Commissioner’s Cup as they try to secure a winning record during this homestand after a strong start.
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