Weathered the Storm

W 76-70

Our Golden State Valkyries pulled off another impressive win at home! We beat the Seattle Storm 76-70. It was another impressive night for Kayla Thorton, who shot 50% from the field for 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. And it included perhaps the best performance of the season for Temi Fagbenle, who scored 16 points against one of the league’s most impressive centers Nneka Ogwumike.

Once again, the defense was huge. While the Storm have averaged over 80 points per game this season, the Valkyries held them to only 31 points in the first half. We might not have the biggest players, but our defense is connected and handsy and never intimidated. The defense gave us a healthy lead going into half (+13), and with five minutes to go in the third, we led by 20. Despite our offense slowing down and Seattle’s picking up until the fourth closed, that cushion was enough to help us secure the victory.

What a great performance! The team is now 5-5 and we play the struggling Dallas Wings (currently 1-11) on Tuesday. Could the Golden State Valkyries have a winning record a quarter-way through the season? Can’t wait to find out! Here are a few more tidbits from a great afternoon at Ballhalla:

• Guardians of the Court. The GSV crew tried a fun game during a timeout where fans played keep away with the ball. Decent response from the crowd. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one again. We were a little surprised that there was no free throw contest, but suspect that it’s going to come back soon

• So Many Parachutes. Rakuten was offering $25 off a purchase on their website if you caught one of their parachutes falling from the rafters. It felt like there were parachutes falling for 3 straight minutes. How many parachutes does one website need?

• Prevent Offense. Coach Nakase has basically done no wrong all season. Keeps making the right lineup choices. Has found a nice groove with the offense (fewer threes; more PnR). Has built a stifling defense. But we did not love the prevent offense strategy in the fourth. Let a twenty point lead get very tight in the end. But clearly she knew what she was doing, because we got the win!

• Still No Mascot. We will keep this story alive until the Valkyries have a mascot. The people are excited for a mascot to rally around!

Go Valkyries!