The Golden State Valkyries started the second half of the season on Friday by hosting the Dallas Wings. Their opponents were below them in the standings, but have had improved their record recently. After a solid start for the hosts, Dallas took a big lead after the first quarter. Golden State fought back to make it closer at halftime, but the Wings stretched out the margin again early in the second half. The Valkyries hit their stride offensively in the third quarter and then made some critical plays in the fourth quarter to secure their lead and win 86-76.
The Lineup
After announcing that Kayla Thornton would miss the game and the season, it was revealed that Monique Billings was also injured, meaning that neither player would face their former team. Cecilia Zandalasini moved into the starting lineup alongside Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Janelle Salaun, and Temi Fagbenle. Iliana Rupert made her Valkyries debut in the first quarter and all available players other than Kate Martin ended up playing.
Golden State experimented with all kinds of lineups in this game, including a taller lineup with Janelle Salaun at the small forward and Laeticia Amihere playing with her Atlanta teammate Iliana Rupert. Dallas countered with their own unusual lineups given their glut of guards. DiJonai Carrington played at the power forward at times and Haley Jones was sometimes the tallest player on the court for them, drawing the defensive assignment of playing center. To maximize their spacing, they even had Jones initiating the offense on the perimeter in that lineup.
First Quarter
Both teams started the game off with some misses, but Tiffany Hayes got the crowd going early with consecutive three-pointers. Arike Ogunbowale got the Wings on the board with a three-point play. Janelle Salaun scored the next basket for the Valkyries, but that ended up being the last Golden State field goal for the remaining five and a half minutes of the quarter. Aziaha James got Dallas their first lead as part of an 18-2 run during that time with only a pair of Veronica Burton free throws keeping the Valkyries from going scoreless for the entire back half of the period. Iliana Rupert did not have the most auspicious start to her Golden State tenure with a pair of fouls in her first minute.
Second Quarter
The Valkyries had a great start to the quarter with a 9-0 spurt being spearheaded by Temi Fagbenle attacking the smallball lineup for the Wings and Carla Leite getting fouled on a three-pointer and knocking down all of the free throws. Arike Ogunbowale helped Dallas keep their lead with a pair of three-pointers, but Golden State also hit two shots from beyond the arc to match them with Janelle Salaun following up her make with a three-point play. The team struggled to get closer late in the quarter, but Tiffany Hayes got the final basket before Luisa Geiselsoder responded to give the Wings a 36-30 lead at the break.
Third Quarter
Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale hit consecutive three-pointers to start the quarter for the Wings, forcing an immediate Valkyries timeout. Janelle Salaun hit a three-pointer to get Golden State on the board, touching off an offensive explosion even though they struggled to contain Dallas. Iliana Rupert entered the game again and had a massive impact this time, converting a three-point play immediately and then hitting consecutive shots from beyond the arc. It was a great shooting quarter overall as Janelle Salaun tied the game from distance. Dallas took the lead again, but it was Carla Leite’s turn next against the team that originally drafted her, completing a three-point play and then scoring four more points on great drives to give the Valkyries the lead. With the crowd roaring to life, Golden State forced a shot clock violation and then Tiffany Hayes scored at the end of the quarter on a well-executed quick play with only a few seconds to go the length of the floor.
Fourth Quarter
Dallas scored the first basket of the quarter, but Golden State got contributions from a number of players to keep their momentum going. Laeticia Amihere scored all four of her points in the game against the smallball Wings lineup and then it was Carla Leite’s turn with two more tough shots. Dallas tied the score at the halfway point of the quarter, but the Valkyries returned to a more familiar lineup after the timeout and Cecilia Zandalasini hit two free throws to get the lead back. In contrast with the perfect free throw streak for Golden State at that point, Dallas had some key misses at the stripe and Temi Fagbenle scored five consecutive points. Tiffany Hayes returned for the closing lineup and she and Veronica Burton hit enough free throws in the last two minutes to seal an 86-76 win.
The Verdict
This was a big win for Golden State after the bad injury news to start the second half of the season. There were two times that it looked like Dallas might be able to put the game out of reach, but the Valkyries fought back twice and made key plays down the stretch when they have struggled in the past. Iliana Rupert showed that she could make a big impact for the rest of the season and gives the team a lot more lineup flexibility that they utilized to try to get matchup advantages in this game. The Valkyries will now have to head on the road immediately for five games in eight days, which will test their depth.
Player of the Game
There were a number of bright spots in this game that would seem to bode well for the future as the Valkyries continue to make a push for the playoffs, but this award will go to Janelle Salaun for this game. She played the most minutes of any Golden State player in this game and also slid over to play the small forward position for some of the time With Kayla Thornton’s injury, the team will need another consistent offensive option alongside Tiffany Hayes and her continued fearlessness in that department will be a big help.
Leave a Reply