The Golden State Valkyries were looking for another big win when they returned home for Saturday’s game against the Seattle Storm. They were looking to both continue their winning streak and stay in the Commissioner’s Cup picture for another day, but they did not end up getting the help that they needed to advance. They trailed early, but took the lead before the end of the first quarter, building it up to a big margin before needing to hang on late for the 76-70 win.
The Lineup
Tiffany Hayes was out again so Natalie Nakase had two decisions to make for the starting lineup. Carla Leite stepped in at one guard spot and then Stephanie Talbot started against her former team after not playing in the previous game, shifting Kayla Thornton up a position to power forward. With only nine available players, the Valkyries gave all of them minutes in the first half.
The trade that was hinted at in our preview ended up taking place on Saturday before the game. Seattle traded Li Yueru to Dallas without getting a player in return so they also had nine available players for this game and played all of them in the first half.
First Quarter
The Valkyries did not have the sharpest start, coming up empty five times in a row before Kayla Thornton hit a free throw and Temi Fagbenle hit the first field goal. Seattle was mostly held in check, preventing them from building up a lead above four points. Golden State scored on four straight possessions to take the lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter and closed out the period strong.
Second Quarter
Golden State scored the first two baskets of the second quarter to extend the lead to double digits. The Storm stayed close behind Skylar Diggins and Lexie Brown, but Kayla Thornton scored all 8 of her points in this quarter in a 70 second stretch to set up a lead of 13 points at the break. Laeticia Amihere scored her first points as a Valkyrie on the first possession while Aerial Powers started the quarter for her first action this season.
Third Quarter
There was no dropoff to start the second half as the teams traded baskets. An 8-0 run in the two minutes before the midpoint of the quarter pushed the Valkyries lead to a game high 22 points after they forced three consecutive turnovers. Seattle start cutting the deficit late in the frame though and only trailed by 14 points heading into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Seattle scored twice in the first minute to only trail by single digits again before Carla Leite hit a pair of free throws. The Valkyries struggled on offense, not hitting a field goal for the entire first half of the quarter. That drought allowed the Storm to go on an extended 13-3 run during that time and only be behind by 5. Kayla Thornton then ended a long streak of misses beyond the arc with a critical three-pointer and Veronica Burton hit a pair of free throws to restore the double-digit advantage. The defense then slowed down the visitors even though they were able to score a few times and the offense ran down the clock even though they could only hit one field goal in the last four minutes. Thornton hit a pair of free throws when the lead was down to four points and two more Storm misses led to the final 76-70 score.
The Verdict
This was another big win against a team expecting to advance in the playoffs who had their own winning streak, including a massive victory over one of the early season leaders. Golden State knew that they would be down multiple starters for this game, but their makeshift lineup got the job done. Their defense continues to be critical in putting them in a winning position while the offense is now finding ways to attack the paint, not relying as heavily on the three-pointer as their shooting still has not come around consistently. The momentum can continue with another game on Tuesday in Dallas when they will have a fuller roster.
Player of the Game
A number of players made key contributions to the win, but this award will go to Kayla Thornton for this game. She was the leading scorer and rebounder, playing the most minutes for the team to cover both forward positions with player absences. In a game where nobody else was able to hit a three-pointer, she connected on three of them at critical times. Her ability to guard multiple positions will continue to be critical until the team returns to full strength.
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