The Golden State Valkyries returned from rest around the Commissioner’s Cup break to start a four-game road trip on Saturday. All four games will be tough and the first game was certainly going to be a big test with a visit to the Minnesota Lynx, the team at the top of the standings. They trailed for most of the first half, but continued to fight back, taking the lead in the second half before fading down the stretch and losing 82-71.
The Lineup
The additional days of practice and rest meant that Temi Fagbenle returned to the starting lineup at center alongside Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Stephanie Talbot, and Kayla Thornton. Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini were available and came off the bench in the first quarter. With Carla Leite out injured again, Kaitlyn Chen came off the bench as the first backup guard. Laeticia Amihere did not play any minutes even though she had been effective as a backup post player.
First Quarter
Kayla Thornton hit a three-pointer on the first Golden State possession, but Kayla McBride answered back immediately for Minnesota. Tiffany Hayes made a pair of baskets to restore the Valkyries lead, but the Lynx then went on a 14-0 run over the next five minutes before Thornton broke the drought with two more baskets. The deficit was trimmed to four points twice in the final minute, but Diamond Miller hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Minnesota the 25-18 lead.
Second Quarter
Napheesa Collier hit three consecutive baskets to start the quarter for the Lynx, but the Valkyries answered twice with three-pointers as Tiffany Hayes made one first and then Kate Martin became only the third player to score for Golden State. The teams continued to trade baskets, but Minnesota was not able to have the explosive offensive moments of the first quarter as halftime approached. After the final timeout of the half, Monique Billings hit a three-pointer from the corner and then scored again before neither team could score in the final 1:45 to leave the Valkyries only trailing 41-36 at the break.
Third Quarter
Veronica Burton hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the second half as she and Stephanie Talbot led the offense early. Minnesota was also finding success on offense with six straight field goals after missing their first shot, but Tiffany Hayes hit consecutive three-pointers to help Golden State keep pace. Temi Fagbenle and Stephanie Talbot then scored on back-to-back possessions to tie the game and then get the Valkyries the lead before the media timeout. The Lynx got some stops while continuing to score freely, closing the 15-4 run with another quarter-ending three-pointer from Diamond Miller.
Fourth Quarter
Minnesota ran their string of consecutive points to eleven in the first four and a half minutes of the final quarter before Tiffany Hayes broke a Golden State run of nearly eight minutes without a field goal with a three-pointer. Neither team was able to find ways to score as both had their worst outputs of any quarter, hurting the chances for a Valkyries comeback. Temi Fagbenle did hit a free throw in the final minute to cut the deficit to single digits, but that was the final Valkyries point in an 82-71 loss.
The Verdict
While this was always going to be a tough game for the Valkyries, they did show that they could stick with the Lynx even though they could not keep pace with a final push late in the game. With all of the players returning, it is clear that some work will need to be done to reintegrate them into the rotations and figure out the roles and combinations that will work best for everyone. There is no time to for the team to stew over the loss too much as they play again on Monday.
Player of the Game
This award will go to Tiffany Hayes for this game after she was the leading scorer in the game, getting as many points as the next two Valkyries players combined. In a game where the rest of the team struggled as a whole from distance, she was excellent from beyond the arc. As the veteran scorer, she is going to be counted on to be the consistent main option as the team continue to try to maintain their early-season momentum and winning record.
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