The Golden State Valkyries returned home on Sunday for a game against the Atlanta Dream, looking to extend their four-game winning streak. The first half was a tense game where neither team was able to accomplish what they wanted on offense. The game opened up in the second half and the Dream built their lead with the Valkyries unable to keep up with them, losing 79-63. Their schedule does not get easier in terms of rest or opposition with playoff positioning so tight now.
First Quarter
Offenses were not clicking early as the game nearly went three minutes with only a Brionna Jones free throw to show for it. Temi Fagbenle scored the first basket for the Valkyries and then Tiffany Hayes answered a Te-Hina Paopao three-pointer after a quick substitution for the Dream with her own shot from beyond the arc. Cecilia Zandalasini hit next from distance and Janelle Salaun scored to keep the lead. Veronica Burton hit a pair of free throws, but Atlanta continued to find success in the paint and tied the score. Burton hit a three-pointer with a minute left for the 15-12 Golden State advantage at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Te-Hina Paopao scored early for the Dream, but Kate Martin and Temi Fagbenle made layups to force an early Atlanta timeout. Neither team could score for over two minutes after the stoppage, but Rhyne Howard hit a three-pointer that Janelle Salaun answered. Atlanta scored the next eight points to the take the lead as the Valkyries went scoreless for five and a half minutes before Iliana Rupert connected on a three-pointer after playing extra minutes with Temi Fagbenle battled foul trouble. That left the score tied at 25 at the break with both teams struggling.
Third Quarter
The Dream did not have a roaring start from the field in this half, but kept getting the lead early with free throws. The Valkyries were able to keep pace because Veronica Burton scored nine of their first eleven points, part of six possessions in a row with scores to take the lead back. A big moment happened three minutes into the half though when Iliana Rupert suffered a blow to the face a minutes after coming off the bench, forcing her to leave and enter concussion protocol. With Temi Fagbenle battling foul trouble after a quick score upon returning, Laeticia Amihere was called upon to play center. Allisha Gray hit two three-pointers to get the lead back for Atlanta, but Cecilia Zandalasini converted a three-point play to keep Golden State close. It was still a one-possession game when Veronica Burton took a blow to the midsection and also had to leave the game for treatment. Atlanta closed the quarter on a 10-2 run after that point to lead 53-42.
Fourth Quarter
The Dream extended that run to 18-4 in the first two minutes of the quarter with points on their first four possessions. Temi Fagbenle scored first for the Valkyries before picking up another foul and Laeticia Amihere came in and scored. Veronica Burton was able to return for the start of the quarter and hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to fifteen points, but that ended up being the closest that Golden State would get. Second chance points started a run of five Atlanta possessions with points and even a three-pointer from Cecilia Zandalasini and good work from Amihere were not enough. The benches emptied with under two minutes to play and Kate Martin hit a three-pointer for the final 79-63 margin.
The Verdict
This was always going to be a tough game, but there were hopes that the momentum from recent games would carry over and that the offense was truly turning a corner. The defense kept the team in the game when it turned out that this would not be the case, but Atlanta showed their strength and well-earned second spot in the standings by making life difficult on the interior for the Valkyries and getting contributions from their entire rotation. Golden State will play two more games against a team above them in the standings with a pair of matchups against the Phoenix Mercury upcoming.
Player of the Game
After games with multiple standout performances, nobody was able to reach those heights in this game, but this award goes to Veronica Burton for her work on both ends of the floor. It was a difficult shooting performance across the board for the team, but she found ways to get points by getting to the free throw line and she had another solid playmaking performance. The coaching staff continues to try to find creative defensive solutions and she found herself guarding taller backcourt players consistently. Her having to leave the game briefly due to injury severely hurt the ability for the Valkyries to catch up once the Dream built their lead.
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