The Valkyries put up a very good battle, but it surely wasn’t sufficient.
After getting blown out by the New York Liberty two nights in the past, Golden State saved the sport shut till the top however couldn’t shut out the Liberty on the highway because the defending champions defeated the Valkyries 82-77 in Brooklyn on Thursday night time.
East Bay native Sabrina Ionescu scored 24 factors and made 6 of 15 3-point pictures to steer unbeaten New York to its fifth straight win to start the season.
Janelle Salaün led Golden State with 18 factors and 13 rebounds. Monique Billings returned after lacking the final two video games with an ankle harm and scored 10 factors and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes.
Golden State held New York to 37.7% capturing from the sector and compelled 13 turnovers, however couldn’t cease Liberty star Breanna Stewart as she scored a game-high 27 factors. Nonetheless, Golden State held New York to its lowest level complete of the season.
“I gave the girls a ton of credit on just how they responded,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase mentioned. “It was a 30-point loss two days ago, and with attention to detail, they followed the game plan pretty much to a tee and that was the team we were looking for on Tuesday.”
The Valkyries entered Thursday’s recreation with their full crew out there for the primary time this season.
Cecilia Zandalasini made her season debut after lacking all of coaching camp, the preseason and the Valkyries’ first 4 video games. She completed with 9 factors off the bench. Whereas Tiffany Hayes didn’t play, she was out there for the primary time since sustaining a nostril harm in opposition to the Washington Mystics final week.
Golden State entered the fourth quarter down one and went back-and-forth with the Liberty all through the interval. The Valkyries bought key buckets from Billings and level guard Julie Vanloo all through the fourth quarter, and even took a two-point lead after Salaün hit a 3 with just below three minutes left within the recreation.
Down 78-77 with 42.6 seconds remaining, the Valkyries had the ball beneath New York’s basket with an opportunity to take the lead. However they weren’t capable of inbound the ball as a pricey five-second violation gave the Liberty the ball again.
On the following possession, New York’s Natasha Cloud bought previous Vanloo on a drive to the paint and scored an uncontested layup to place the Liberty up three with simply over 24 seconds left within the recreation.
The Valkyries bought one ultimate likelihood to tie, however Zandalasini’s fading three-point strive from the left wing fell quick as Golden State couldn’t pull off the upset.
New York ended the sport on a 9-2 run within the ultimate 2:24 to shut out the visiting Valkyries.
Whereas the Valkyries confirmed positives of their two-game sequence in opposition to the Liberty, Salaün mentioned Thursday’s loss was deflating for her.
“I’m not going to lie to you, it was a big hit to my pride,” Salaün mentioned. “To get beat like that is hard. It’s a hit, but it’s a good hit. We were not on our standard and we need to get better. But that’s why we showed out tonight.”
After beginning utilizing a 2-3 matchup zone to open Tuesday’s recreation, the Valkyries switched to a straight man-to-man protection to begin Thursday’s contest. The technique labored early as Golden State held New York to 35.7% capturing within the first half and compelled 10 turnovers. The Valkyries went into halftime tied with the Liberty at 37 as Salaün totaled 10 factors by the primary two quarters.
Zandalasini gave the Valkyries a set off the bench, scoring eight factors within the second quarter whereas hitting 2 of her 4 3-point makes an attempt.
The Valkyries’ offense bought off to a greater begin than they did on Tuesday. Golden State bought a balanced scoring assault led by Kayla Thornton and Salaün, who mixed for 9 factors within the opening quarter.
However New York nonetheless held a two-point lead after the primary quarter because it additionally bought off to a sizzling begin from past the arc. Ionescu hit her first three 3s because the Liberty hunted pictures from deep.
The Valkyries finish their highway three-game highway journey 1-2. They may return to the Bay Space on Sunday for a recreation in opposition to the Minnesota Lynx earlier than hitting the highway once more subsequent Thursday for a matchup in opposition to the Phoenix Mercury.
“I think there’s a lot to build off this game, so I’m feeling excited,” Billings mentioned.
Initially Printed: Could 29, 2025 at 6:21 PM PDT
