The Golden State Valkyries continued their road trip on Monday with a visit to the Atlanta Dream. The team started well against the team right above them in the standings, but could not sustain that momentum in the second quarter. They fought back to get the lead again multiple times only to face fourth quarter struggles again on their way to a 90-81 loss. The road trip does not get any easier with their next game at noon local time on Wednesday against the Indiana Fever.
The Lineup
To match the taller lineup that Atlanta was fielding at every position other than point guard, Natalie Nakase opted to start two true post players to match up better with them. That meant that Monique Billings replaced Stephanie Talbot from Friday’s lineup to join Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla Thornton, and Temi Fagbenle. The change also meant that Laeticia Amihere came off the bench early for more post depth. Carla Leite missed another game for the team, though she was dressed for the first time, and Cecilia Zandalasini ended up not playing either.
First Quarter
Kayla Thornton scored the first basket of the game before Atlanta answered immediately. Veronica Burton and Monique Billings hit three-pointers and then Billings scored again for a quick 8-0 run. The Dream were hampered by having to take a timeout early to get treatment for Jordin Canada after she was hit in the face, but she did return later.
While Atlanta did find their rhythm on offense, the Valkyries continued to find success beyond the arc with five consecutive makes as Burton hit on her own. Golden State did have trouble with turnovers, but also forced their opponents into some to mitigate those effects and generate a few easier scores. Kaitlyn Chen was the other player to make a three-pointer and Laeticia Amihere scored on a trademark drive for the team’s biggest leads at twelve points and it was a 26-16 advantage at end of the frame.
Second Quarter
Kate Martin opened the scoring on the first possession of the quarter, but Atlanta started their comeback with scores on seven consecutive trips down the floor. That run ended up being a 20-5 spurt that got the Dream their first lead and then the run stretched to 25-7 when Allisha Gray, the leading scorer in the half, hit a three-pointer for a six point lead.
The Valkyries cooled off while being unable to keep their opponents off of the free throw line during that stretch. Golden State was able to take the lead back with an 8-0 run in the final two minutes though with their only two three-pointers in the period coming from Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes sandwiching another Laeticia Amihere layup for a 45-43 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Golden State was able to extend their lead early as Monique Billings scored to open the half and Kayla Thornton was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all of the free throws. Atlanta answered back and tied the score, but Tiffany Hayes made the next two baskets before the media timeout. The Dream kept tying the score, but three more three-pointers helped the Valkyries get the lead and Monique Billings scored at the end of the quarter for a 68-64 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Brittney Griner made a free throw for the first point in the quarter, but Kate Martin answered with a three-pointer to extend the lead for Golden State. Tiffany Hayes scored with just over six minutes remaining, but Atlanta then went on a 12-0 run of over four minutes during the key portion of the game. The offensive struggles included five turnovers before Monique Billings got the Valkyries on the board again. Naz Hillmon answered with a second straight three-pointer for the Dream and the deficit proved to be too much to overcome with another pair of turnovers contributing to the final 90-81 margin.
The Verdict
The Valkyries looked fantastic in parts of this game with an excellent start to the game including all of the elements that the team was hoping to be able to count on for success this season. The scorching hot shooting and defense allowed them to build that lead early, but there were two stretches where they struggled immensely and a tough fourth quarter took away any chances of a win. Turnovers continue to be a concern on offense as they proved costly late in the game while the effective moments on defense were canceled out by other periods where they could not slow down Atlanta, leading to the second highest total of points allowed so far this year.
Player of the Game
A number of Valkyries were facing their former team today and this award will go to one of them as Monique Billings was called upon to return to the starting lineup. In the taller opening group, she helped to defend her counterparts on the other team while leading Golden State in scoring and tying for the team lead in rebounding. After being the main post option while players were on national team duty, she may not be relied on to the same extent for the rest of the season, but she will continue to have an important role on both ends of the floor.
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