The Golden State Valkyries returned home on Saturday to host the Washington Mystics, looking to continue their impressive winning streak. While they fell behind early, they did grab the lead before halftime. The defense struggled in the third quarter and they trailed again heading into the fourth quarter. They were great on both ends to close the game and got the 74-69 win as they play the Mystics again on Monday before the All Star Break.
The Lineup
There was no surprise player news for either team so they started their expected lineups and had their usual rotations. The Valkyries tried a few different moves to counter the Mystics lineups, running the smaller lineups at times and going with zone defense to try to counter Washington’s height. They also deployed both centers at the same time to defend the opposing post pairing as well. Golden State did not activate either of their developmental players, but the Mystics did activate Darianna Littlepage-Buggs for the game, which allowed her to make her WNBA debut at the end of the game.
First Quarter
Cecilia Zandalasini scored on the first possession of the game, but the Mystics answered with a three-pointer. Kayla Thornton matched it from the wing only for Washington to take the lead on a three-point play. The Valkyries struggled on offense for four minutes, generating five looks from beyond the arc and not connecting on any of them. Washington tried to push their advantage in the post, getting two more baskets in the paint.
Golden State started bringing in their bench unit before the media timeout and Tiffany Hayes attacked the paint on a drive to earn a three-point play. The Mystics kept building their lead with their guards getting into the act before Janelle Salaun ended another three minutes without Valkyries points with a tough jumpshot. Washington made one more three-pointer, but Salaun answered to keep the deficit at 18-13 after the quarter.
Second Quarter
Washington scored on their first possession while the Valkyries got their first point when Laeticia Amihere grabbed the rebound on her miss and made one of the free throws after being fouled. Another Amihere offensive rebound set up Kayla Thornton for a three-pointer and then Tiffany Hayes tied the score when she was left open in the corner. The Mystics scored the next basket and Veronica Burton had the chance to tie it at the free throw line, but only made one of the shots.
A replay review was needed to confirm a shot clock violation and then there was another stoppage when Washington called a timeout after Gabby Williams gave the Valkyries the lead. Cecilia Zandalasini scored when action resumed and Veronica Burton made a three-pointer to make it eight straight points for Golden State. Washington ended the run with the next basket only for Janelle Salaun to make a three-pointer and Williams made the lead bigger by leaking out in anticipation of a Burton defensive rebound for the open layup. It was a tough final minute for the Valkyries, but they still led 33-28 at the break.
Third Quarter
The defensive intensity continued at the start of the quarter with consecutive steals as Kayla Thornton opened the scoring with a pair of free throws. Washington went on an 8-0 run after that point to take the lead back as a Golden State timeout in the middle did not help. Gabby Williams got the first Valkyries field goal followed by a basket from Veronica Burton. They missed some good chances to extend it, but Williams and Cecilia Zandalasini did match the Mystics to maintain the lead before Washington was able to tie the game on a free throw.
Tiffany Hayes returned and drew a foul, but the Mystics challenged the call and lost. She made one of the free throws, which meant that Washington took the lead on a good feed into the post. Kaila Charles scored her first points at the free throw line only for the Mystics to make a three-pointer. Janelle Salaun split a pair of free throws and then Charles struck again with a three-pointer to tie the score after a Washington basket. The Mystics finished the quarter strong with the last two baskets after Kaitlyn Chen tied the score after two free throws to lead 57-52.
Fourth Quarter
Veronica Burton scored on a drive on the first possession of the quarter, but the Mystics answered immediately. Missed opportunities at the free throw line continue for Golden State as Kaila Charles split a pair and Washington continued find success with their dual-center lineup. Gabby Williams took on the role of being the go-to scorer in the fourth quarter again with a layup, free throws and a three-pointer. Kiah Stokes connected next from distance to tie the score. The Mystics took a timeout with neither team scoring for the next minute before Kayla Thornton gave the Valkyries the lead from beyond the arc.
Both teams had some misses before the final media timeout, but Veronica Burton made it a two-possession game with her own three pointer. Washington got two more baskets in the paint as Williams finished the Golden State spurt from long-range. She missed one last chance to extend the lead with the score at 74-69 before coming up with another steal and drawing a foul, which was briefly reviewed for an upgrade, but was left as a common foul. That meant an inbounds pass instead of going to the free throw line, leaving the Mystics with a good chance at getting closer after a steal. They missed the shot and opted not extend the game after the Valkyries secured the rebound and called a timeout.
Player of the Game
It was another game where different players made contributions at different moments to ultimately get to the win. The award will go to Veronica Burton as this became another game where she was leaned on to control the offense. She responded with another excellent playmaking effort while also scoring a few timely baskets too. The bench has certainly earned the spotlight for their work in recent games, but this was a big game for the starting lineup to showcase what they can do, getting the chance to close out the game as a group as well.
The Verdict
This was a game with good and tough stretches for the Valkyries and they found a way to get another win and extend their streak. With both teams capable of limiting each other on offense, there were still periods when the offenses were able to get into the flow of what they wanted to do. Given that they will face off again right away, all of the adjustments that both teams made to try to gain an advantage will be on the table again to conclude their regular season series.
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