The Golden State Valkyries hosted the Chicago Sky on Wednesday, looking to continue their early season run. Early signs were good as they had the lead after the first quarter, but their offensive struggles let the visitors back in the game. Chicago took the lead in the second half and the Valkyries just could not get back out in front again, losing 69-63. It was a tough loss for the team to take, but they will now have a week before their next game.
The Lineup
Golden State went with the same lineup that they started Sunday’s game with as Veronica Burton was joined by Kaila Charles, Gabby Williams, Kayla Thornton, and Kiah Stokes. Unlike the first two games, Miela Sowah was not made available for this contest and the team ended up only playing eight players again. Chicago also had the same starting lineup as their first game, but had Natasha Cloud available to make her debut off of the bench.
First Quarter
Gabby Williams scored on the first Valkyries possession, but Chicago answered right away. Veronica Burton converted a three-point play on the next trip down the floor and then added another free throw when there was a foul before the ball was inbounded. Kiah Stokes made her first basket before the Sky scored the next three points and then it was Stokes again. That basket started a 9-0 Golden State run that included Williams forcing a timeout with a score after a defensive play.
The teams made their first substitutions after the stoppage and Kaila Charles scored for the first time before Williams finished the run with a three-pointer. Chicago was able to break their drought before it reached four minutes and Laeticia Amihere ended grabbing Golden State’s last basket for a 19-10 lead. After that score, the Valkyries were whistled for a phantom foul, but even though they won the replay review, there was no ruling for imminent possession, and the team lost the jumpball and surrendered the basket anyway.
Second Quarter
Chicago scored the first two baskets of the quarter to stretch their own run to 7-0, but Kiah Stokes scored again and then Kaitlyn Chen finished a great rebounding sequence with a putback layup. The Sky scored again before the media timeout as the Valkyries continued to struggle, finally capitalizing on offensive rebounding with a Veronica Burton layup. Chicago scored the next two baskets, but Gabby Williams continued to be only Golden State player who could connect from beyond the arc with her second make. The Sky scored four points in the final minute and only trailed 28-24 at halftime.
Third Quarter
Neither team score on their first possession, but Veronica Burton helped the Valkyries strike first. Chicago answered with a three-pointer to suddenly make it a one-possession game, but Burton made a pair of free throws. Chicago did tie the score though with points on their next two possessions, but Kaila Charles and Gabby Williams each restored the lead with layups. The Sky converted a three-point play to grab the advantage for the first time before the media timeout.
Chicago’s momentum continued after play resumed with two more baskets, but consecutive three-pointers from Charles and Janelle Salaun tied the score again. They Sky scored on three consecutive possessions to end the quarter, including a three-pointer just before the buzzer while Golden State only got a layup from Kaitlyn Chen during that stretch to leave them trailing 49-44.
Fourth Quarter
The Valkyries made a pair of good defensive plays to start the quarter and Janelle Salaun made a pair of free throws to trim the margin to a single possession again, but Chicago immediately responded with a three-pointer and free throws of their own. Golden State was able to match that with Gabby Williams free throws and a Veronica Burton three-pointer. They had the chance to make it even closer when a Sky offensive foul went to replay to determine if free throws should be awarded.
Golden State did not get those free throws, but did tie the score with Burton firing from long-range again, but Chicago answered immediately. Both teams had their chances at the free throw line, but misses, including by Williams and Kiah Stokes, kept the Valkyries from getting closer. Kaila Charles made it a two-point game again with two minutes left, but Chicago scored the next five points. Williams was able to make a three-pointer, but it took a while for the Valkyries to generate a shot. They tried to get the ball back quickly, but surrendered a layup instead. Even though the Valkyries kept their free throws following an unsuccessful replay challenge from the Sky, Salaun only made one of them while the opposition made both of theirs after a delay resulting from confusion about how many fouls Stokes had accumulated. Laeticia Amihere split a pair of free throws for the final 69-63 losing margin.
Player of the Game
The award will go to Kiah Stokes in this game after her work anchoring the defense. This was expected to be a tough matchup for the Valkyries at center, but they had the clear advantage for most of the game in a very even battle. Stokes had a game-high 11 rebounds and an impressive 5 blocks as she played heavy minutes in the platoon. She had a few good scoring plays as well as she has been very opportunistic while the team tries to figure out the best way for her to contribute on that end.
The Verdict
While both teams were missing important players and had won all of their games to start the season, there was some expectation that the Valkyries had the edge. The offense, which had such potent moments in the first two games struggled after the first quarter and the loss came despite the defense being stingy enough that the team would expect to win even with a below-average performance on the other end. With a week between games, Golden State will have some time to work on what happens when their offense is lacking rhythm ahead of a tough road trip.
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