The Golden State Valkyries hosted the Connecticut on Sunday as they looked to get back to a winning record. Their opponents entered the game in last place, but were still a threat as the first quarter was close. The Valkyries made a big run in the second quarter though and coasted in the second half for an 87-63 win. With two straight wins to start the homestand, they will be looking to pick up more wins during this busy upcoming week.
The Lineup
Golden State was hoping to have all twelve players available for the second straight game, but Carla Leite did not play. Tiffany Hayes stepped into her spot in the starting lineup alongside Veronica Burton, Stephanie Talbot, Kayla Thornton, and Monique Billings. That also meant that Kaitlyn Chen made her WNBA debut early in the game as the backup point guard. Marina Mabrey did not end up being able to play after getting hurt in Connecticut’s last game and Kariata Diaby did not play.
First Quarter
Veronica Burton started the scoring for the Valkyries with a three-pointer, but Connecticut took the lead. Golden State built up a lead of nine points only to see the Sun use a 10-0 run to take the lead with two minutes to play. Kate Martin hit a free throw and Chloe Bibby hit a three-pointer to restore a 23-20 lead at the end of the quarter as Laeticia Amihere also made a quick impact off the bench in a solid shooting quarter for the Valkyries.
Second Quarter
Chloe Bibby hit another three-pointer to start the quarter and then Kaitlyn Chen, who made her WNBA debut to start the period, completed a three-point play for her first ever points to extend the Valkyries run to 10-0. Connecticut also hit a couple of long-range shots to keep it close early, but Golden State could not be stopped anywhere. Kayla Thornton scored 10 of her 14 points in the quarter in a row and the Valkyries closed the half on an 18-2 run to lead 59-32 at the break.
Third Quarter
Kayla Thornton also scored the first basket in the second half, but neither team was finding much success on offense. Connecticut did put together a 7-0 run early, but the margin was still too large to make a dent in as they went cold. Golden State struggled from the field, including missing all of their long-range shots, but still managed to outscore the Sun by a point.
Fourth Quarter
Connecticut had more success on offense to start this quarter, extending their run to 10-0 by the midpoint of the frame. The Valkyries were able to score again to keep the margin from dipping further as Aerial Powers made her second appearance of the season. With the result settled, Bree Hall got to play the last three minutes for her first WNBA action, and she got to score her first points while Powers also got her first points of the season in the final minute.
The Verdict
It was a decisive win against a team expected to struggle this season and there were a lot of bright spots in an explosive first half that put the game out of reach. The foot was taken off the gas to some extent in the second half so some of the overall stats are not as overwhelming as they looked in the middle of the game. Quickly taking care of business in this game leaves the Valkyries ready for a busy week as there will also need to be a player transaction made before Wednesday’s game.
Player of the Game
Every player who played in the game got to score a point and two players got to make their WNBA debuts so there were excellent stories up and down the lineup. This award will go to Kayla Thornton for this game as she turned in another leading scorer performance for the team as she helped put the game out of reach in the second quarter. She has been the consistent contributor in the area for a team trying to figure out who will have the biggest roles on offense going forward.
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