The Golden State Valkyries had to play for a second consecutive day on Thursday, visiting the New York Liberty. It was their last regular season game against another playoff team and another chance to play with their full roster. It was another good first half on defense as they built a solid lead by halftime and kept it up in the second half on their way to a 79-60 win. The team will now have to close out the road trip with some of their players heading to their national teams in Europe.
The Lineup
There was no surprise player news for either team so the Valkyries had their full roster, including activating both developmental players again. New York did not activate either of their developmental players with only Satou Sabally being unavailable on their roster. Golden State returned to the nine-player rotation to play more smallball lineups, which they stuck with until the result was decided and both benches were emptied to get all available players into the game. There was some lineup shuffling when Veronica Burton needed treatment early.
First Quarter
Gabby Williams opened the scoring with a three-pointer from the corner as she quickly got set up before the defense could arrive. New York got two points at the free throw line and then got their first field goal. Kayla Thornton was the next player to get open in the corner and knocked down the three-pointer. Cecilia Zandalasini continued the strong start from distance and Williams made the first two-pointer on a tough drive. The Liberty got their first make from beyond the arc and then made another one on the next possession before the media timeout.
New York continued to enjoy their own long-range success to take the lead and then eventually extended it. The Valkyries settled down a bit on their next possession and Tiffany Hayes got her first basket. The Liberty got to the free throw line next for two more points, but Janelle Salaun answered with a baseline jumper. Hayes scored again to respond to the latest New York basket and Kaila Charles tied the score. She gave them the lead by running the floor well again for another open layup. Golden State challenged a foul call and were successful, but there was no scoring for the rest of the quarter as they had the 21-19 advantage.
Second Quarter
Kaila Charles scored the first basket of the quarter after good team offensive rebounding. Veronica Burton got fouled attempting a Eurostep layup and made one of the free throws. The Liberty finally got on the board, but Cecilia Zandalasini answered by setting up one of her mid-range jumpers. New York got within a possession again, but Zandalasini made a three-pointer in response before a timeout as neither team had much rhythm when action resumed.
Gabby Williams got the next score after banking in a three-pointer and New York got two points from free throws. Zandalasini was left open on with her defender screened out of the picture, making the three-pointer and forcing a Liberty timeout. New York got it back to a single-digit deficit with two free throws, but Tiffany Hayes got one back at the other end. Zandalasini expanded the lead further with a contested three-pointer in the corner, which the Liberty responded to, ending a drought from the field. Hayes was next to connect though and that ended up being the last scoring of the half with Golden State leading 42-30.
Third Quarter
Cecilia Zandalasini scored the first basket of the half when the Valkyries found a new way to attack the defense, but New York answered with consecutive layups. Veronica Burton drove through the lane for a layup and then got another open path to the basket. Burton’s three-pointer made the lead grow more and led to an early Liberty timeout. New York ended the run when play resumed, but Zandalasini was next to get an open layup. The Liberty did speed up the game and get a pair of baskets before another stoppage.
Golden State continued to struggle on offense for a bit, letting New York get closer with free throws, but Tiffany Hayes got fouled on the drive next to get two free throws. The game stopped again as the referees went to the monitor after a Liberty three-pointer to rule that Hayes was flagrantly fouled after the shot. She made the free throws, but New York was able to get back to the foul line. Kaitlyn Chen got a height mismatch and used it to create space for a jumpshot and the 59-47 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Cecilia Zandalasini scored on the first possession for the Valkyries and then Gabby Williams returned to score next. Janelle Salaun launched a long two-pointer and then Golden State challenged an out-of-bounds call to get the ball back. The Liberty got their first point at the free throw line and continued to try to take advantage of their height in the post. Gabby Williams made a three-pointer after an extremely difficult catch only for New York to match. The pressure on defense allowed Salaun to get completely open on the wing and make it from distance.
The Liberty scored and tried to be physical on defense again, leading to a replay review that did not upgrade a foul call. Williams responded with another three-pointer as it was New York that got back to the foul line and added their own three-pointer. Kiah Stokes was left open for a layup before another timeout. The Liberty emptied their bench at that point, allowing Golden State to match for the last two minutes. New York made one free throw and then Ashten Prechtel made a three-pointer for the final 79-60 margin.
Player of the Game
The award will go to Cecilia Zandalasini for this game after her impressive scoring efforts in the first half to build up the lead. She ended up being the leading scorer and got more minutes than usual, playing the most of anyone on the team. The Valkyries have continued to rely on her to create shots for herself and she has continued to find ways to knock down even the more difficult shots. She now gets ready to join the Italian national team in their first global tournament in 30 years.
The Verdict
This was another game that went about as well as the Valkyries could have planned for, getting the lead and not having it threatened much after that. With Sunday’s game being a wildcard as both teams will be dealing with player absences, getting this win and maintaining the cushion for their playoff seed is a big deal. They will be looking to head into the nearly three-week break with momentum from what could be a very successful road trip. The next goal in the standings will be to secure homecourt advantage to start the postseason.
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