The Golden State Valkyries visited the Indiana Fever on Wednesday looking to complete a perfect road trip. They started well and then continued to limit the hosts and their explosive offense. Indiana did find a rhythm in the third quarter and took the lead only for the Valkyries to withstand the charge and build the lead out to its biggest margin. There was one more Fever push in the fourth quarter, but the Valkyries defense made some key plays late and got the 88-75 win.
The Lineup
There was good news for the Valkyries before the game as Gabby Williams was available and she took her spot in the starting lineup back in place of Kaila Charles. That allowed the team to get back to their full ten-player rotation in the first half although they switched back to more heavy use of the smallball lineup in the second half. Indiana did not have any late player news, but Myisha Hines-Allen did not return to the rotation and it was kept pretty close to their last game. Neither team activated any developmental players for the game.
First Quarter
Both teams could not score on their first possessions before Gabby Williams got the first points of the game with her preferred defensive matchup. The Valkyries launched from distance frequently early, getting two makes from Cecilia Zandalasini before Indiana’s first basket. Kayla Thornton got the next basket and then Gabby Williams was given a path to the basket after catching an outlet pass, making the layup that led to an Indiana timeout.
The Fever brought in bench players during the stoppage and got their first basket. Golden State started going to their bench too after the offense cooled off, but nothing worked as Indiana made it a one-possession game. Kiah Stokes prevented the drought from reaching three minutes after getting a height mismatch in the post and making the layup. Janelle Salaun got the first bench points and Veronica Burton stole the ball and got a layup before getting her rest. The Fever continued to find some flow on offense with a Laeticia Amihere layup ensuring that the Valkyries still led 20-18 at the end of the quarter.
Second Quarter
Tiffany Hayes got fouled on the fast break after a Valkyries steal on the first possession, making both free throws. Indiana made another three-pointer only for Kaila Charles to be given space for a baseline drive and layup which they answered. Hayes scored again by making a good read on her defender and driving past her for the layup. Kayla Thornton was given space after setting a pick and made a three-pointer from the wing. Hayes was able to drive again and get to the free throw line for more points as the Fever started finding more success.
Gabby Williams scored and then made a layup after getting a steal as the team sandwiched the media timeout with a pair of blocked shots. Indiana missed a few opportunities and gave up a corner three-pointer to Williams before she found Kiah Stokes open in the paint for a layup. Indiana got slightly closer, trailing 40-30 at halftime.
Third Quarter
Cecilia Zandalasini made a basket on the first Valkyries possession of the half as Indiana got their first points. There was an early stoppage after Indiana successfully challenged a call to get the ball. Gabby Williams committed a foul before an inbounds play, so the Fever were awarded a free throw that they made, also scoring on that possession. Their next basket led to a Golden State timeout to stop the run, but it did not work and Indiana headed to the free throw line to make it a one-possession game. Zandalasini ended the drought with a tough jumpshot only for an Indiana steal and three-pointer to get the crowd back into the game.
More bench players entered the game and Kaitlyn Chen made a layup immediately on the inbounds play. A turnover and a foul gave Indiana the chance to tie the game at the foul line, but they could only make one shot after a pause that included a delay of game warning. The Fever got back to the free throw line and got another chance to tie the game, taking the lead after that. Janelle Salaun responded by getting a basket in the paint and then Chen raced up the floor after a steal for a layup. She got to the free throw line after an Indiana basket and made both shots. It was another similar sequence when she got an open layup after a basket and then she got fouled to add another point at the free throw line. There was no surprise when she had the ball on the final possession, converting a ridiculous finish and completing a three-point play for the 58-51 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Janelle Salaun made a three-pointer on the first possession of the quarter to restore the double-digit lead. After getting the assist on the last basket, Kaitlyn Chen called her own number again with the defensive mismatch and made another layup, leading to an immediate Indiana timeout. The Fever did get their first basket when play resumed, but the Chen to Salaun combination resulted in another three-pointer. Indiana answered as the Valkyries went to their closing lineup, getting another make beyond the arc from Kayla Thornton. She added a free throw after an opposition basket following a defensive three-seconds violation. Tiffany Hayes drove in for a layup when they regained possession, but Indiana made a three-pointer to avoid falling further behind. Salaun got the ball in the post and earned a pair of free throws, making both before committing a foul on the other end.
Gabby Williams was next to make it from long-range and then drew a foul call that Indiana opted to challenge. They lost the review only for her to miss both of the free throws. The referees returned to the monitor on the next possession to confirm that Golden State had forced a shot clock violation. Hayes was the latest player to find success on a drive and also made a free throw for the three-point play. The Fever responded and then neither team had the kind of possession that they wanted with Hayes committing a transition take foul after a second rough play. Indiana missed the free throw, but scored after the ball was inbounded. Another Valkyries turnover had the Fever making it a single-digit game again with a three-pointer, leading to a Golden State timeout. With neither team scoring after the stoppage, Hayes got fouled before the final minute and made both of the free throws. After another stop, Williams got fouled and made the free throws and then it was Thornton’s turn after a steal of an inbounds pass. Indiana did score again, but Veronica Burton made two free throws for the final 88-75 margin.
Player of the Game
This was a good team win with a number of different players contributing at different moments to lead to the win. The award will go to Kaitlyn Chen for her big second half moments. Even though she played less than a quarter of the game and the award tends to go to a player for their work across the whole game, she completely changed the direction of the game when it looked like the Golden State effort up to that point was going to be reversed. The bench entered the game as the lead was beginning to disappear and they actually gave it up briefly. Chen was part of a 22-11 surge where she scored 14 points and assisted on a pair of three-pointers to build the lead that held up for the rest of the game. She continues to be able to consistently find her way to the basket on drives even with defenders fully knowing what she is trying to do.
The Verdict
A perfect road trip of this length is quite difficult, but the Valkyries got the job done to extend their winning streak. The defense did its job in making sure that Indiana could not play their preferred style for most of the game. The bench continued to provide a big offensive punch for the team with timely baskets at a critical moment in the game. Golden State heads home for two more games against a team in a playoff spot before getting an extra-long All Star Break, so they will be looking to finish this part of the season strong and keep their momentum going.
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