The Golden State Valkyries hosted the Toronto Tempo again on Tuesday, looking to complete the regular season sweep. The team had a quick start, but the visitors took a big lead in the second quarter. The Valkyries recovered in the second half though and maintained the advantage once they seized the lead back, getting the 92-81 win. It was another case of taking care of business against a team not currently in a playoff place as they get ready for bigger tests ahead.
The Lineup
There was no surprise player news for the Valkyries, so they were able to field their usual lineup and go with pretty typical first half rotations. In the second half, they ended up running more of the smallball lineup even against taller groups on the other side. Toronto got positive player news as Marina Mabrey was back and able to take her spot in the starting lineup back from Kiki Rice. Aneesah Morrow was also able to make her debut, entering the rotation immediately as Temi Fagbenle ended up not playing.
First Quarter
Cecilia Zandalasini scored on the opening possession again, knocking down a three-pointer. Toronto eventually responded, but Kayla Thornton got in the act beyond the arc with makes on consecutive trips down the floor to expand the lead. Nyara Sabally was the only person who was keeping the Tempo in the picture early with their first eight points before the media timeout. Kiah Stokes was left completely unguarded and took her turn in making a three-pointer as well. Toronto had more players getting involved when play resumed, getting more three-pointers from their post players and then finding success in the paint.
Janelle Salaun came in off of the bench to make her first shot and Veronica Burton tied the score with free throws after Toronto took the lead for the first time. The Tempo kept taking the lead back with Tiffany Hayes taking advantage of a speed advantage to tie the score next with a layup. Kaitlyn Chen made a floater as the rest of the bench unit came in, with a Defensive Three Seconds violation leading to another Toronto free throw. Hayes faced the same defensive matchup on her next drive to tie the score and then Salaun gave the Valkyries the lead with a wide-open three-pointer as Golden State recovered an offensive rebound. They nearly got the stop that they needed at the end of the quarter, only to give up their own offensive rebound and the tip-in for a 25-24 advantage.
Second Quarter
After closing the scoring in the last quarter, Maria Conde heated up to start this quarter in what ended up being 16-0 run, showing what the Valkyries missed out on last year when an injury ended any chance of her playing for them. She made three three-pointers and her teammates chipped in as well with an early timeout doing nothing to stop the surge. Golden State eventually got all of the starters back in and Veronica Burton got to the free throw line to end the drought. Gabby Williams grabbed a rebound and took the ball up the court herself to make the first field goal.
The Tempo made a pair of free throws before Burton responded and a Kiah Stokes putback made them take a timeout. Neither team scored for the next minute, but Toronto did get back on the board. Golden State got a pair of free throws from Tiffany Hayes and then three-pointers from Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaun to only trail by a point. Toronto was able to retain possession by successfully challenging a call, but neither team got score again, leaving the Tempo up 42-41.
Third Quarter
Kayla Thornton made a three-pointer on the first Golden State possession to give the Valkyries the lead. Gabby Williams expanded it with a steal and score followed by another layup as Toronto took an early timeout between the plays. The Tempo did get back within a point before Thornton made another three-pointer and then drove to free herself up for a reverse layup. Veronica Burton was next from beyond the arc after finding herself left completely open in the corner, which was important as Toronto also found their rhythm beyond the arc. Players came in off of the bench halfway through the quarter and Kaila Charles made her first basket racing in for an offensive rebound and the putback.
Thornton scored again after Toronto’s latest effort to trim the margin to a single point and then there was another stoppage for a replay review. Thornton had drawn the offensive foul call, which was upgraded to a flagrant, earning her a pair of free throws. On the resulting possession, she found Janelle Salaun for a three-pointer. The Tempo continued to score as well, but Salaun made a good decision after receiving the ball on the roll, faking out the defender for a bankshot opportunity. Tiffany Hayes split a pair of free throws twice as the Valkyries took a timeout during an offensive lull. They stopped the game again to challenge a foul call on her that was not successful. Burton missed a free throw resulting from a Defensive Three Seconds violation, which eventually gave Toronto the chance to regain the lead. They could not get it done and Salaun’s three-point play after a successful putback meant that Golden State led 72-68 at the end of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Kiah Stokes got a height mismatch early and went to work in the post for a hook shot and then Tiffany Hayes got a steal, finding Janelle Salaun racing ahead for an uncontested layup, giving the Valkyries a cushion. Hayes pushed that to double-digits with a layup and Salaun’s three-pointer from an inbounds pass got it to the highest margin in the game. Toronto ended the run at 12-0, but Hayes got another layup after splitting a pair of defenders. The Tempo continued their push and the Valkyries took a timeout to regroup in the middle of the quarter.
Gabby Williams got to the free throw line when play resumed as both teams struggled for the next minute, even as Toronto was able to secure an extra possession with a timeout before a jumpball situation could be created. They did score next, but Veronica Burton was able to make up layup just as the shot clock was expiring. More defensive stops led to a Williams layup and the last Toronto timeout with the clock ticking away. They scored twice and fouled to extend the game, leading to two free throw makes for Kayla Thornton and one for Burton to get to the 92-81 final margin.
Player of the Game
The award goes to Kayla Thornton for this game after a number of timely plays as she helped get the scoring going early with a pair of three-pointers. She was a key part of the third quarter when she got the lead back with one basket and then kept chipping in again when Toronto got closer multiple times. Facing a team with the height of the Tempo, she was also asked to battle in the post again constantly and took on those defensive responsibilities.
The Verdict
It was another battle, but the Valkyries came away with another win at home. After coming out of the break with three games against teams who are not currently in playoff places, they head out on the road for a game against a squad that they are in close competition with for postseason positioning. This road trip will be big for the team as they try to keep a gap between themselves and the teams right below them before returning home for some more tough matchups.
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