The Golden State Valkyries had a one game road trip on Sunday when they vistied the Las Vegas Aces. After a close loss in their last trip there, the Valkyries did overcome a tough shooting start to lead multiple times in the first half. The shooting never picked up for though and Las Vegas was able to go on a run in the second quarter. Golden State could get no closer in the second half and ended up with a 92-73 loss. They head home again with more games against tough opponents looking to end their losing streak.
The Lineup
There was good news for the Valkyries before the game with Tiffany Hayes ending up being available after being listed as questionable in the initial injury report. That allowed the Valkyries to run their preferred rotation early, but the game getting out of hand meant that every player was able to see time on the court except for the developmental players, who were not set as active. Las Vegas was without Chennedy Carter again, leaving them with nine available players.
First Quarter
The start was not great for the Valkyries as Las Vegas scored the first two baskets. Gabby Williams got Golden State on the board with a foul-line jumper and Cecilia Zandalasini made a shot from the same spot. Williams got them within a point after a layup, but the Aces kept responding. Zandalasini tied the score with consecutive jumpers and then Williams drove again for the layup to send the game to a media timeout only to miss the free throw when action resumed.
Zandalasini picked up where she left off with another tough make on the first possession after the stoppage. The Valkyries could not extend the lead further and the Aces were able to quickly take the advantage back with a pair of three-pointers. Their lead increased at the free throw line before Kaitlyn Chen scored on another one of her drives. She got fouled on her next attempt, but only made one of the free throws. That ended up being the last point for Golden State as Las Vegas made two more baskets in the final minute for the 23-17 lead.
Second Quarter
Tiffany Hayes looked fully healthy when she scored the first two baskets of the quarter and Kaitlyn Chen forced Las Vegas to take a timeout when she made an open three-pointer off of a won jumpball. The Aces were able to grab the lead back after the stoppage only for the Valkyries to take it back with another driving layup. Kiah Stokes scored against her previous team after a Golden State timeout, but missed the free throw that would have tied the score. Gabby Williams missed the free throw on a technical foul resulting from a followup move to a common foul and Las Vegas went on a big run. Two Williams free throws were the only points in the final six and a half minutes as the Aces scored 19 points in that time to lead 50-30.
Third Quarter
Gabby Williams got a steal and fast break layup on the first possession of the half for a positive start to the half, but Las Vegas got a three-point play on the next trip down the floor. Cecilia Zandalasini made two more jumpshots off of the dribble and Kayla Thorton made her first basket to get the Valkyries even closer, leading to an Aces timeout. Las Vegas was able to regain their rhythm, including getting a free throw after a technical foul assessed to Tiffany Hayes when she was still on the bench. Veronica Burton had a layup for the only Golden State score before a timeout. Kaitlyn Chen returned from the bench after that to make another layup and Kaila Charles made her first basket. The final minute featured Janelle Salaun’s first points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws, but there was no stopping the Aces either and they matched their largest lead at 77-49 to close the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
After an absolutely frigid long-range shooting performance for the game up to this point, the Valkyries missed another attempt to start the quarter, but Laeticia Amihere got on the board after entering late in the previous quarter and Kaila Charles made one as well on the next possession. Las Vegas scored enough to make sure that their lead was not threatened as Tiffany Hayes made one free throw and Kaitlyn Chen had a three-point play to keep the deficit from growing either. Amihere continued to make an impact with a steal and layup followed by free throws after the Aces designated her as a replacement shooter after Hayes had to the leave the game after a hard foul.
After the media timeout, Juste Jocyte got fouled handling the ball after entering the game and got on the board with one free throw. Nadia Fingall then became the last player to enter, making her WNBA debut in the process. Neither team scored for a bit as she was able to make her first ever shot after grabbing her first rebound. The final timeout came after Charles got fouled and she drained the free throws when action resumed. Jocyte made a field goal she hit a tough floater and Amihere closed the scoring with a three-pointer for the 92-73 final margin.
Player of the Game
The award for this game will go to Kaitlyn Chen as she had another in a string of productive games off of the bench. How backup point guard minutes would be handled was an open question heading into the season and there were not a lot of answers early. She has clearly added something on the scoring front in recent games by consistently being able to get to the basket with her drives, which should continue to get her minutes as she works on running the offense as well.
The Verdict
After a string of wins and competitive losses, this was a rare blowout loss for the Valkyries. With their long-range shots not falling, they tried other tactics to stay in the game, but just could not get the stops to keep the game close. While the next three games are at home, they are against two of the teams that are above them in the standings so there is no time to dwell on the last two losses. The big margin meant that nobody played heavy minutes and everyone available got to play, which should be a good reset for the team ahead of their next game.
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