The Golden State Valkyries continued their tough road trip on Friday, visiting the Chicago Sky less than 24 hours after completing their previous games. There had already been plenty of bad injury news before that game, but it got worse ahead of the game and only a hardship exception enabled them to field nine players. The hosts had no sympathy as they were down to eight players themselves and both teams battled all night. It looked like the Valkyries might run out of steam first, but they rallied in the fourth quarter to get the 73-66 win.
The Lineup
The first piece of news before the game was that Monique Billings would be out for at least three weeks, which enabled the Valkyries to get an exception to sign another player. They were able to bring in Kaila Charles for wing depth in time to play. The news did not get any better when Cecilia Zandalsini was ruled out for a second straight game and then Tiffany Hayes was also a late scratch due to injury after being limited in the previous game.
Golden State opted for the smaller lineup even against Chicago’s taller group, bringing Carla Leite and Kate Martin into the starting group alongside Veronica Burton, Janelle Salaun, and Temi Fagbenle. Chicago was also waiting on injury news before the game and there was some good news with Michaela Onyenwere being available even though Hailey Van Lith was going to miss the game. Sevgi Uzun, who was just recently signed, was able to make her debut, giving them a much-needed guard option off the bench and eight players in total.
First Quarter
Rachel Banham opened the scoring for Chicago, but Carla Leite got Golden State on the board and then hit a three-pointer. Janelle Salaun was next to hit from beyond the arc, forcing an early Sky timeout. Temi Fagbenle kept the lead going with a pair of baskets and Veronica Burton joined in the fun, but Chicago scored the last two baskets of the quarter to take the 15-14 lead.
Second Quarter
The Valkyries scored the first three points of this quarter, but the Sky tied it up and took the lead again to force a quick timeout. The first seven Golden State points ended up coming at the free throw line before Iliana Rupert made consecutive field goals to restore the lead. Chicago also found their offensive rhythm though and the advantage changed hands several times. Kaila Charles scored her first basket as a Valkyrie after entering the game halfway through the period. The Sky split a pair of free throws to leave the scored tied at 37 at the break.
Third Quarter
Chicago scored the first basket as both teams started the half slow before Kate Martin hit a three-pointer to give the Valkyries the lead. The Sky then found some success on offensive, starting with consecutive makes of their own from distance and then building a lead of as many as eight points. Golden State got three-pointers from Janelle Salaun and Veronica Burton at that point though to get the deficit to 54-52 at the buzzer.
Fourth Quarter
Sevgi Uzun made it a two-possession advantage again for Chicago on the first possession, but Veronica Burton started a 12-0 Golden State run. Iliana Rupert hit a three-pointer to give the Valkyries their own eight point lead and then hit another one after the Sky only trailed by a basket again after giving them the lead from distance earlier. Chicago did not give up, scoring twice to trail by a single point, but Janelle Salaun scored and the defense picked up again, not giving up any more points. Veronica Burton secured the 73-66 win with four free throws.
The Verdict
Given the short turnaround and the missing players, getting a win no matter how ugly it looked was on the agenda for tonight. There were some strong performances and Kaila Charles was able to contribute immediately, allowing the Valkyries to finish strong and battle any fatigue from the previous day. The end of the road trip does not get any easier as they get a day of rest, but must head to Las Vegas for a game on Sunday afternoon.
Player of the Game
There were some excellent efforts from players to ensure that the Valkyries got the win, but this award will go to Veronica Burton for this game. With all of the veteran backcourt players out, she had to take on a big leadership role as she returned to the area where she starred in college. She provided a little bit of everything in this game to get that win, adding timely scoring to her usual reliable playmaking and then hitting all of her free throws, including six in the fourth quarter.
Leave a Reply