Game Recap: Regular Season Game 4 vs New York Liberty

The Golden State Valkyries had their toughest test of the season on Tuesday, visiting the defending champion New York Liberty for the first of two games in Brooklyn. The hosts came out firing early and stifled the Valkyries, building a big lead. Golden State did manage to keep pace in the middle quarters, playing more to their usual levels and forcing the champions to keep their starters in late, but they eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 95-67 win.

The Lineup

None of the injured players returned for the Valkyries, but rather than keep the same lineup as the previous game, Golden State trotted out their fourth different starting lineup in four games. Stephanie Talbot was the new starter, joining Veronica Burton, Kayla Thorton, Janelle Salaun, and Temi Fagbenle to give the team a little more height to match up with the Liberty. All healthy players did get into the game early as they needed all hands on deck.

First Quarter

The New York Liberty immediately found holes in Golden State’s defense to generate good shots and Breanna Stewart ended up scoring their first nine points. Kayla Thornton picked up the first basket for the Valkyries, but had to take a seat early after getting hurt while fouling on the next play. The Valkyries could not find rhythm on offense, getting forced into difficult shots, falling behind 22-3 before free throws helped them back to a 27-10 deficit by the end of the quarter after they only had a pair of made field goals.

Second Quarter

Veronica Burton got the Valkyries on the board early in this quarter from beyond the arc, but the Liberty scored eight points in a row as Marine Johannes caught fire from distance for them. Golden State did edge the rest of the quarter after that surge though, still struggling from three-point range, but both getting better looks and settling into their defense more. The game still looked well out of reach at 48-29 at the break.

Third Quarter

The Liberty were the first team to score a basket in the second half, but the Valkyries ended up having the scoring edge in this quarter to keep the game competitive. The first half cold shooting was the rearview mirror as the offense was humming in the middle of the quarter, cutting the deficit down to 11 points with two minutes remaining. New York did manage the 7-2 advantage over the final minutes for a more comfortable lead heading into the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The Valkyries were hoping to make one last push and they were able to score when they got the opportunity, but they could not keep pace with the Liberty’s biggest offensive quarter. Turnovers became a factor in making the final margin look even worse as they trailed by as much as 33 before scoring the last two baskets in a 95-67 loss.

The Verdict

This game was more of what was expected from an expansion team and despite some solid moments from the Valkyries, they were never able to trim the deficit back down to single-digits after falling behind quickly. The Liberty were able to find holes in the defense and launch open shots from distance consistently even though there were stretches where the Valkyries were able to defend at the same level as previous games. Their offensive struggles were not helped by turnovers or having to settle for difficult shots. This scheduling does offer the opportunity to immediately show improvement when they get the rematch on Thursday when both teams also hope to be healthy.

Player of the Game

While a number of players had good moments, nobody quite had the consistent level of performance to be an easy choice for this honor. It was an extra emotional night for Kayla Thornton so she will be the pick for this game. Facing her former team, she got to receive her championship ring before the game. A fan favorite who would have been able to stay with her former club if she had not picked in the expansion draft process, she tied for the scoring lead and continues to play a variety of different roles for the team on defense.