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Somehow, someway, in their fourth game in seven days, Golden State Valkyries found a way to win on the road for the second game in a row. The Valkyries won an ugly 68-67 game against the Washington Mystics to get back to a .500 record on the season. And more importantly, they moved back into the eighth seed in the WNBA playoff picture and are a step closer to securing a crucial tiebreaker over the Mystics.
Golden State only scored six points in the fourth quarter, relying heavily on its defense to hang onto a 7-point lead heading into the final period. But Janelle Salaün came up clutch for the Valkyries once again. The French forward scored with what would be the game-winning layup with 1:00 left in the fourth. Golden State wouldn't score another basket, but neither did Washington, chaining together stop after stop down the stretch.
With Washington possessing the ball with 2.0 left in regulation, the Mystics called Brittney Sykes's number for a potential game-winning scenario. Sykes got into the heart of the Valkryies' defense, but Iliana Rupert contested her floater just enough for Golden State to hang on for their second one-possession win in a row. After the game, head coach Natalie Nakase talked about relying on her defense in the clutch and watching Sykes's missed potential game-winner.
“Again we've talked about being top in defense and being one of the toughest teams. I think that just showed it,” Nakase said, referring to the final stop the Valkyries got to secure the win. “Those last couple of minutes– it showed our toughness [and] back to the resiliency of what we had last game. And then, just overall, just gritty. Sometimes it's not pretty, but being on the road and not everything going our way, we still stayed connected. And I thought we fought our asses off till the very last second.”
Kate Martin's microwave scoring
Valkyries' Kate Martin was one of the big reasons why Golden State had the luxury of relying on its defense late when the offense stagnated. Martin finished with a team-high 14 points alongside 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Martin helped the Valkyries build a 13-point lead as soon as she checked in midway through the first quarter. Golden State went on a 15-2 run as soon as Martin stepped on the floor, thanks to her shooting and dribble penetration.
Since the WNBA All-Star break, Martin's minutes have fluctuated wildly with little rhyme or reason. But her play and steady hand were much needed versus the Mystics, especially with Tiffany Hayes exiting mid-game with a minor injury. Nakase opted to play Martin with the starting five to close the game. After the win, Martin talked about how the team stuck together down the stretch.
“I think we have a great bench with great energy,” Martin said when asked about how the team handles adversity in these kinds of games. “If we're not scoring, we make sure to hold them as much as possible. We talk about reslianc,e but obviously there's some things that we can work on. We shouldn't be giving up a 12-point lead. But on the road, sticking together and still coming out with a win like that is huge. Something to be proud of.”
The Valkyries fighting through fatigue and injury
The win in Washington is the Valkyries' second in a row after the trap game letdown versus the league-worst Connecticut Sun to open the road trip. Especially considering the injury and fatigue factor. All-Star Kayla Thornton is out for the season. Monique Billings is sidelined with an ankle injury. Cecilia Zandalasini was out in the front end of this rare back-to-back. And by the end of this road trip, the Valkyries will have played six games in 10 days.
And according to Nakase, fatigue is a big reason why the Valkyries have allowed teams like the Mystics to get back in the game after they've built a lead.
“Because we're exhausted,” Nakase answered when asked about the fourth quarter slips. “I think if we would have played another two or three minutes, I'm hoping we would pull it off, but I think we exhausted ourselves to exactly 4 minutes. I’m just proud we finished. I mean, yeah we scored six [fourth quarter points] they only scored 12 so that's huge for us.”
In a similar vein, Iliana Rupert, who got the starting nod for the first time this season, echoed Nakase's sentiment.
“We can be proud of ourselves; that we were able to step up,” Rupert answered when asked for her takeaway from the past two wins. “A big strength of our team is that threat can come from everybody. We've been showing that the last couple of games. And even though we lost a couple of players, we stick together.”
Still, there's little rest for the weary, no matter the resilience they demonstrate. The WNBA waits for no team, the Valkyries included. They face the Chicago Sky on the back end of this back-to-back before heading to Las Vegas for another Aces battle. But Nakase, it's an opportunity to demonstrate their resiliency.
“It goes back to our word. Our word on this trip is going to be resilient. We had nine [players] tonight, so I call our nine strong. As we continue to go into Chicago, hopefully, we get some more healthy bodies and finish this out.”
