The Golden State Valkyries started the semifinals on Sunday when they hosted the Las Vegas Aces, looking to get their first win over the defending champions to start the series on the right foot. The first half was full of strategic decisions on both sides as they looked to find an advantage. Golden State briefly held a solid lead before Las Vegas closed the gap before the break. The Valkyries were excellent in the second half and maintained their edge, getting a 71-60 win as they will also host the next game on Wednesday.
The Lineup
There was no late player news for the Valkyries as the Aces were waiting on one player with Stephanie Talbot not ending up being available. Both teams made a number of early moves in terms of defensive matchup choices and substitutions. The Valkyries extended their first half rotation to ten players to combat Las Vegas’s need to run double-post lineups at all times, giving Aminata Gueye the backup center minutes and never running a full smallball lineup. They tightened that rotation in the second half, not playing Janelle Salaun at all while Kaitlyn Chen played nearly all of the minutes at point guard. The Aces tried two more options in the first half as they were trying their best to counter Golden State’s groupings. They lost Jewell Loyd for the game early in the second half, leaving them with no true perimeter substitutes.
First Quarter
Both teams had misses early before Las Vegas opened the scoring on a three-pointer. Veronica Burton got fouled on a drive and made the free throws for the first Valkyries points. The Aces had success early on offense even as Gabby Williams drained two three-pointers, leading to a Valkyries timeout instead of waiting for the media break. It was Williams again when action resumed as she made a foul line jumper and Kayla Thornton’s three-pointer got the lead back briefly. Las Vegas quickly tied the score and took the lead on a three-pointer as they looked to attack once Golden State brought in players off of the bench.
Cecilia Zandalasini made her first basket after getting a favorable defensive matchup on an inbounds play. Janelle Salaun got her first two points at the free throw line after an emotional award ceremony before the game where she was presented with the Sixth Player of the Year Award. Las Vegas scored again to grab the lead, but Williams closed out the quarter strong, attacking on the drive twice and following a three-point play with a pair of free throws for the 22-18 lead.
Second Quarter
Kaitlyn Chen entered the game to start the quarter and got a three-pointer on the first possession. Aminata Gueye had looked to get involved on offense after checking in during the first quarter and got a couple of decent looks, converting for the first time on a putback of her own miss. Las Vegas went deeper into their own bench and got a three-pointer for their first basket while Gabby Williams raced down the floor for a layup to force a timeout.
The Aces did score when play resumed, but the Valkyries continued to generate extra shots by crashing the offensive boards and Williams made a three-pointer. Veronica Burton pushed the lead to double-digits for the first time before a quick Las Vegas response. The media timeout was followed by another stoppage after the Valkyries successfully challenged a foul call on Kiah Stokes, but they were not able to take advantage of the resulting possession. The Aces closed the half strong with six more points for the 8-0 run to trim the deficit to 34-31.
Third Quarter
Cecilia Zanadalasini scored first in this half when she was able to back her defender down to set up an open shot and then she answered a Las Vegas three-pointer. Kaitlyn Chen entered early in the quarter and got a layup to lead to a quick Aces timeout. She added a pair of free throws after another Las Vegas three-pointer and Kayla Thornton extended the lead by running the floor to get an open layup.
The Aces got a three-point play next, but Aminata Gueye returned as was able to roll to the rim completely unguarded to get the layup. Out of a similar action, Gabby Williams took the jumpshot this time and then Gueye made another basket even with the defense helping this time, completing a three-point play. The Aces were getting some points back at the free throw line and another basket led to a Golden State timeout. Gueye was able to score on the roll again and Kaila Charles was the latest player to take advantage on the offensive glass with a putback, but Las Vegas did score the final basket to leave it at 56-48 Valkyries.
Fourth Quarter
Tiffany Hayes had been quieter than she had been in recent games, but she got her first basket to open the quarter. Las Vegas scored two quick baskets to put the lead in jeopardy, but she took the initiative again, getting fouled and making one of the free throws. Gabby Williams returned and gave the Valkyries some breathing room with a three-pointer and Kaitlyn Chen made a tough floater to make it a double-digit game again to force another Aces timeout.
Las Vegas was able to get closer, but Kayla Thornton did get a point at the free throw line after attacking the offensive glass again. She made a layup next after running the floor well to answer more Aces free throws. The Valkyries had to challenge a foul call on Chen, successfully getting the ball back again. Layups from Williams and Chen led to a Las Vegas timeout and they emptied their bench after not getting a score on their next possession. The Aces did score the last basket to get to the final 71-60 margin.
Player of the Game
There were a number of players who had strong performances to contribute to the win as the award will go to Gabby Williams for her work over the course of the whole game. In the first half, her scoring was key with nobody else making more than one basket. As the game evolved, she was initiating the offense more, ending up leading the team in assists as well while also being part of the team rebounding effort. These playoffs so far have been a great showcase of everything that she can do while leading the team and she will continue to be relied upon for big moments.
The Verdict
This was a great start for the Valkyries as reversing the narrative from the matchups between the teams in the first half of the season was important. The obvious story to follow over the next few days will be player availability for Las Vegas after they had another injury to deal with in this game. With more players available, both coaches have tons to review after significant experimentation with matchups and defense in the first half. With the Valkyries having so much success at home this season so far, getting the chance to double their lead at home is a major opportunity for them and a benefit of their tremendous regular season.
Leave a Reply