The Golden State Valkyries were hoping to win one of the two home games in this stretch when they hosted the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday. It was always going to be a tough matchup against a team above them in the standings, but more injury news before the game left the Valkyries needing to shuffle their starting lineup further. Despite being shorthanded, they played with incredible energy in the first half and took the lead at the break while feeding off of the energy from the crowd. Golden State ran out of steam in the second half though and lost 98-91 with the return trip to Phoenix on the cards next.
The Lineup
Before yesterday, it had already been known that Iliana Rupert would be joining Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings in missing the game after having to leave early on Sunday. When the starters for the game were announced, it was revealed that Tiffany Hayes would also be missing the game with Carla Leite replacing her in the starting lineup. Cecilia Zandalasini ended up being an even later scratch, getting replaced by Kate Martin at the last minute. That meant that the Valkyries only had eight players available, including Kaila Charles playing in the last game under her current contract. In sharp contrast, Phoenix had their entire roster available even though they did not end up playing everyone.
First Quarter
Kahleah Copper hit a three-pointer for Phoenix on the first possession of the game, but Kate Martin answered right away after entering the starting lineup late. The Mercury found success early in the paint with three baskets from Natasha Mack, causing the Valkyries to take an early timeout, but they were keeping pace on offense. Temi Fagbenle countered by also stepping behind the arc to hit a shot while Janelle Salaun had eight points in a row, including a three-pointer and three-point play. Pheonix kept firing away though with makes from Sami Whitcomb and Copper being followed by Satou Sabally free throws and a Kathryn Westbeld make that stretched their lead to seven points. Golden State closed the quarter strong, starting with Veronica Burton taking her turn from distance. Laeticia Amihere came off the bench earlier than expected with Fagbenle quickly picking up a pair of fouls and scored. Janelle Salaun hit another three-pointer to tie the score, Carla Leite scored her first points, and then Kate Martin completed the 8-0 run from distance to lead 31-26, but Sabally hit a pair of free throws to halt the momentum.
Second Quarter
The offense did not slow down in this quarter as the Valkyries got points on four straight trips down the floor, starting with a Laeticia Amihere free throw and finishing with a Kaitlyn Chen basket after she got two rebounds to help Veronica Burton hit a three-pointer and complete a three-point play. Phoenix also kept scoring with Kahleah Copper leading the way, but Kaila Charles became the last Golden State player to score to keep the lead going. The backcourt took over for a little over three minutes to end the quarter as Carla Leite made two baskets and Burton hit free throws and made a layup. There was another late foul of Satou Sabally to make it seem like the Mercury would get the last point, but Burton quickly took the inbounds pass and raced up the floor, getting fouled beyond the arc and hitting all three free throws for a shock 59-47 lead from impressive shooting.
Third Quarter
After both teams had success from the start on offense in the first half, neither team scored for the first two minutes, but Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas got Phoenix on the board to cut the deficit. Kate Martin, who was not shy about taking available shots, started a streak of five straight possessions with Golden State baskets, and made two more shots from distance. The Mercury scored between all of those baskets though to keep pace. The Valkyries started to slow down after that point, with only Laeticia Amihere scoring in the second half of the quarter as her two baskets kept the lead at 73-68 with the defense still working hard.
Fourth Quarter
The Valkyries did get scores on their first two possessions, including another basket for Laeticia Amihere, but the Mercury took the lead for the first time since the first quarter with points on their first eight trips down the floor. Temi Fagbenle returned and scored to restore the lead and Carla Leite hit a three-pointer to keep pace, but Phoenix did not slow down, pushing the lead to seven points during a two minute Valkyries drought. Amihere ended it with another basket, which ended up being the team’s only field goal in the second half of the quarter as the Mercury finished a 10-2 run. Veronica Burton and Carla Leite hit free throws for a final 98-91 margin as Phoenix iced the game with enough makes at the free throw line themselves.
The Verdict
At this point in the season, there are no longer any moral victories. The Valkyries played spectacularly well for large portions of the game considering how many players they were missing and how tough the remaining matchups were for their available rotation. In the end, the game was a loss though and, even if they can get players back for Friday, that will also be a difficult game. Golden State is still sitting in a playoff spot as they continue to watch the teams around them.
Player of the Game
There were a number of impressive efforts to keep the Valkyries competitive in this game, but this award has to go to Veronica Burton for another incredible game. She was the leading scorer again, but may have had her most impressive playmaking performance yet with 14 assists recorded without a turnover as the team did a great job overall with taking care of the basketball. With so many veterans out or playing limited minutes, she took on a major leadership role for this game and continued her standout season.
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