The Golden State Valkyries had another game on their road trip on Monday, playing the Washington Mystics. Their opponents were trying to hold their position in the last playoff spot while trying to record one more big win over a team higher up in the standings. The Valkyries trailed early as offense was hard to come by, but looked to be righting the ship in the second quarter. Washington bounced back to take the halftime lead, but the Golden State defense reached another level in the second half on the way to a 62-49 win.
The Lineup
There was no surprise news for the Valkyries so they started with the same lineup again. The Mystics did not get good news on the injury from so Sonia Citron missed the game. Cotie McMahon started again in her absence alongside Georgia Amoore, Michaela Onyenwere, Kiki Iriafen, and Shakira Austin. Neither team activated any of their developmental players while the game margin did not create an opportunity for the end of either bench, which meant that Juste Jocyte did not play in the lone Golden State trip to her birthplace in this regular season.
First Quarter
The Mystics scored on their opening possession, but Cecilia Zandalasini got the Valkyries on the board. Defense was a factor for both teams before Washington scored again and then Kayla Thornton headed to the free throw line where she tied the score. There was another drought that the Mystics ended with their foul on the next possession sending the game to the media timeout.
Janelle Salaun took the first two shots as the Valkyries made their first substitutions, making the second one before a Washington response. After some great Golden State defensive plays, the Mystics did find some success in the post with a three-point play. Kaila Charles was the last player in the rotation to enter and found a way to the basket for the next score, but Washington responded again. Kaitlyn Chen made the first three-pointer only to see the opposition score on their final attempt for a 15-11 lead.
Second Quarter
Kaila Charles grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback to open the scoring and then Kaitlyn Chen tied the score recovering the ball for a layup after not finding the pass that she wanted. Tiffany Hayes scored next to give the Valkyries the lead and Janelle Salaun made an open three-pointer from the corner to force the early Mystics timeout. Washington ended their cold streak from distance, but Kiah Stokes connected next to maintain the lead while Hayes drove to the basket and made a layup to extend it.
The Mystics suddenly found their rhythm on offense, scoring on five straight trips down the floor. Charles finding herself an open layup after an offensive rebound and Veronica Burton’s floater kept Golden State in front, but the Mystics were able to take the lead on a three-point play after a timeout did not help. They made two more free throws before Cecilia Zandalasini’s tough pullup jumper on the last Valkyries possession left them trailing 35-33.
Third Quarter
Veronica Burton banked in a difficult shot on the first possession of the half and Cecilia Zandalasini made a long two-pointer to restore the Valkyries lead. She hoped for an upgrade when she was fouled, leading to an early stoppage, but the review led to nothing. Burton scored again and completed a three-point play before the Mystics finally broke through in the pain, leading to a Golden State timeout, which did not help either team on offense. Washington scored again to trail by a point, but Gabby Williams made her first basket after setting up the defense to generate on open jumpshot. More bench players returned as three pointers-from Tiffany Hayes and Kiah Stokes sandwiched a long-range shot from the Mystics to keep the lead. Kaitlyn Chen and Hayes made the last two baskets with the shot clock running down for the 50-40 lead heading to the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Kaila Charles scored the first basket of the quarter with the bench group on the floor and then Kaitlyn Chen converted a three-point play on the next possession after a shot clock violation. Washington missed a chance at their first point at the free throw line after a foul before the inbounds pass, but got back there on a regular shooting foul and made the free throws this time. Chen scored again as the Valkyries raced up the floor after winning a jumpball, leading to a Mystics timeout.
Neither team had any success from the field when action resumed, but Washington did continue to pick up points at the foul line. Chen finally ended the drought when she drove again to set up her floater and drew an offensive foul before another timeout. Defense continued to limit the Mystics as they did edge closer, but Janelle Salaun’s three-pointer before the final minute ended up being the last points for the 62-49 final margin.
Player of the Game
The bench outscored the starters by a significant margin in this game and the leader in that category was Kaitlyn Chen, who gets the award for this game. It was another efficient scoring game for her as she is consistently able to drive the basket and pick the right finish based on the defense while being accurate enough from distance to remain a threat there. She also led the team in assists for the game as all of the bench minutes kept them in their flow while making sure that all players got some rest for the next part of the road trip.
The Verdict
There were plenty of indicators that this could be a lower scoring game compared to some other matchups, but those expectations were wildly exceeded. Even when the Valkyries were generating good shots that fit their offense, they were not going in for them. The defense never really wavered though and ended up producing the stingiest effort in the team’s history by far, which still made it a fairly comfortable win in the end. The road trip continues and the next game figures to be a little different stylistically, but this is another strong win for the team and the momentum continues to build.
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