The Golden State finished their homestand on Monday looking for a winning record before hitting the road again. They played the Connecticut Sun, who were coming into the game on a losing streak after having played the previous night too. While it was not a blowout in either direction like the previous two meetings, the Valkyries took care of business, leading for nearly the entire game on the way to a 74-57 win.
First Quarter
Marina Mabrey opened the scoring for Connecticut after racing ahead right from the opening tip, but Temi Fagbenle responded for Golden State to start a 10-0 run. The Sun got back into the game as Aneesah Morrow worked hard with her fellow frontcourt starter Tina Charles getting rest after the previous game. Fagbenle scored again right after the halfway point of the quarter, but the Valkyries struggled for the rest of the quarter on offense, only getting a basket from Tiffany Hayes. The defense kept up their intensity though and only some untimely turnovers helped the Sun score the last three points to only trail 14-10. After getting limited minutes recently, Kate Martin got early time off the bench.
Second Quarter
Veronica Burton scored the first point on a free throw, but Saniya Rivers hit a three-pointer to start an excellent quarter for her. Tiffany Hayes answered from beyond the arc and then Janelle Salaun followed after neither team had a make from distance in the first quarter. Migna Toure made her return to San Francisco after her good exhibition performance in training camp and the Sun scored the next six points. Burton hit a pair of free throws, but Rivers responded to cut the margin back to two points again. Temi Fagbenle scored on a nice feed from Hayes, who led the Valkyries in the quarter, and the returned the favor on the next possession on a three-pointer. Toure was the last player to hit a three-pointer, but Golden State was able lead 32-26 at the break after four more points.
Third Quarter
Aneesah Morrow scored the first basket of the half, but the teams then started to find more rhythm on offense after a low-scoring first half. Cecilia Zandalasini started a string of eight straight Valkyries possessions with baskets, including three straight for Janelle Salaun. Zandalasini hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to a new game high, but was whistled for a technical foul afterwards. Olivia Nelson-Ododa helped keep the Sun from falling behind by more, but Tiffany Hayes and Zandalasini hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead further. Golden State did cool off later with Iliana Rupert’s first basket being their only score of the last four minutes, but they still led 55-44 heading into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Connecticut extended their run to 7-0 with the first two baskets of the quarter, but Janelle Salaun hit another three-pointer to start an 8-0 Golden State run, including another make behind the arc for Cecilia Zandalasini. The defense continued to shut the door on any Sun comeback chances and the Valkyries continued to launch away from the outside, getting a pair of makes from Iliana Rupert and Kate Martin, though the latter had one taken off the board after a replay determined that she released the ball after the expiration of the shot clock. Unfortunately she also had to come out of the game late for treatment after both benches were emptied. Kaila Charles, whose minutes were limited in the second half made two free throws for the final 74-57 margin.
The Verdict
After their performance in Connecticut two weeks ago, the Valkyries knew that they had to get the job done in this game against a team far out of the playoff picture with no rest on their road trip. They only trailed after the opening possession and looked to be in control for pretty much the entire game even though the margin was not big until the second half. This is a busy stretch with games every other day, including a quick two game road trip against two teams currently below them in the standings as they try to hold their playoff position.
Player of the Game
There is certainly temptation to award this honor to a bespectacled raven after a strong second half following the halftime festivities. There were a number of good performances from the team in this game and the award will go to Janelle Salaun for the game. Despite a good defensive first half, the Valkyries did not have much of a lead to show for it. Salaun helped change that in the second half with three straight baskets in a 70 second span when the Sun were also looking to get back in the game. She also hit the critical first basket in the fourth quarter to blunt the final Connecticut charge as she had excellent shot selection overall in this game.
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