SAN FRANCISCO – Survival has been the key word for Temi Fagbenle and the Golden State Valkyries this season. The Valkyries have had to survive injury, absences, and arduous road trips; this past week, they experienced all three at the same time. Golden State returns to the Bay Area following an up-and-down five-game road trip in which it went 3-2.
Considering the injuries of Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes kept them out the majority of the trip, the long-term injuries to Kayla Thornton and Monique Billings, and the sheer schedule crunch of five games in eight days (six games in 10 days if you count the Wings' home game), going positive on the road isn't the worst thing in the world. Starting center Temi Fagbenle isn't dwelling on the positives, however.
Ahead of the team's Ballahala rematch with the Las Vegas Aces, Fagbenle talked about what Golden State learned about themselves on the road.
“I definitely took away some things we had to get better at. Namely, our communication, which is something that we've talked about all season,” Fagbenle told ClutchPoints. “But when you're playing back to backs, it's kind of reminiscent of a playoff style, you know? You have to lean into your togetherness and your communication. You can't slack off at all.”
Those takeaways stem from experiencing the physical exhaustion of travel. According to Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries encountered significant flight delays on the road. The team arrived in Washington last Thursday at 3:00 a.m. due to an 8-hour flight delay. And in Chicago, the team was in and out of the city in less than 24 hours, with little time for rest or reprieve.
“I think we grew in resilience just because we lasted the whole trip,” Fagbenle added. “It was a very grueling, grueling trip.”
A Golden State Playoff Push?
After surviving a stretch in which they played on the road 10 times in 12 games, Golden State is still alive in the WNBA playoff hunt. At a dead-even 14-14 record on the season, the Valkyries sit a game ahead of the surging Los Angeles Sparks and a half a game behind the Las Vegas Aces. Needless to say, every game matters from here on out if the Valkyries want to achieve the previously believed impossible: clinching the playoffs as an expansion team in its inaugural season.
The Valkyries are taking their playoff push one game at a time. Anytime that kind of question is approached to Nakase, the answer is the same: One game at a time. And like her coach, Fagbenle is keeping a similar mindset.
“For me, each has been that throughout the season, so I don't see anything different there,” Fagbenle told ClutchPoints when asked about the Valkyries' playoff push. Fagbenle mentioned the Valkyries' must-win approach to the rest of the season was the first time she heard that. “We just want to win as many games as we can, and our goal is to make it to the playoffs. So let's hope that we do it.”
With 10 of their remaining 16 games at home, the Valkyries have a great opportunity to secure a playoff spot. It will just come down to controlling what they can control.
