Game Recap: Regular Season Game 3 vs Los Angeles Sparks

The Golden State Valkyries played a game on the road for the first time on Friday, visiting the Los Angeles Sparks and hoping to avenge the opening night defeat and continue momentum from their first win. After a high-scoring first quarter, the team clamped down on defense in the second quarter to build a big halftime lead. That lead stayed through the third quarter, but the hosts rallied in the fourth quarter. The Valkyries held their nerve late though for the 82-73 win for another excellent result ahead of a tough stretch.

Lineup

With Tiffany Hayes unavailable, the team trotted out a third different starting lineup with Julie Vanloo joining Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton, Janelle Salaun, and Temi Fagbenle to open the game. Monique Billings did not recover in time to be available, leaving her on the sidelines with Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini. With no other backup centers, Kyara Linskens entered the game early after being a healthy scratch in the last game and all healthy players saw action in the first half.

First Quarter

After last game’s long-distance shooting drought to start the game, Janelle Salaun went ahead and made sure there would be no repeat performance and hit a three-pointer on the first possession. The Valkyries started the game with their trademark intensity, leading 7-1 early, but turnovers and missed shots helped the Sparks go on a 19-2 run that included three-pointers on three consecutive possessions. Los Angeles finally missed after eight consecutive field goals and Golden State found their offensive rhythm again to cut the deficit to two points at the end of the quarter.

Second Quarter

The Valkyries continued their run and nearly shut out the hosts for 75% of the quarter, scoring 18 points before their opponents as part of a 26-1 spurt. In a game where depth was a question, the bench provided valuable minutes to keep up the defense, massively outplaying their counterparts, and the team shot well from distance while also attacking the paint and finding success there too.

Third Quarter

Janelle Salaun opened the second half with another three-pointer, but neither moved the margin much in either direction early. A 9-2 run pushed the lead up to twenty points, but the Sparks scored the last two baskets of the quarter after taking a timeout giving the Valkyries a one-point edge in the frame. The team was able to get contributions up and down the lineup to stay fresh for the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Neither team made a move immediately, but Sparks found their rhythm offensively and the Valkyries lost their momentum, letting the hosts cut the deficit to five points. Kayla Thornton was fouled on a three-pointer and hit all of the free throws giving Golden State a buffer when Los Angeles answered back with their own three-pointer and then all of the free throws were hit down the stretch to seal the win.

The Verdict

The Valkyries picked up a second straight win and had a particularly impressive second quarter on their way to a halftime lead. Their defensive intensity will keep them in games and when the offense is humming as well, the team will make it hard on opponents for the entire night. Despite playing well for most of the game, they had to withstand a late charge to win the game and they will need to work on closing out games, especially on the road to avoid heartbreak after good starts. The degree of difficulty is about to pick up for the team with two more games in this road trip, both visits to the defending champion New York Liberty before hosting the runners up, the Minnesota Lynx.

Player of the Game

There were plenty of strong performances again in this win, but we will go with Janelle Salaun for this game. For a player who had never played in the league before and missed all of training camp to immediately jump into the starting lineup and fearlessly play her role is quite impressive. She hit the first shot in each half and made some high-degree of difficulty plays while her defensive versatility has been helpful too.