The New York Liberty are stacked with star power.
Between Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Satou Sabally and Marine Johannes, the Liberty walked into Thursday’s game against the Valkyries with the clear advantage on paper – even without star point guard and Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu, who was out with a foot injury.
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But even with all the elite talent New York had, the Valkyries imposed their will early and never let up.
After eight days of rest, Golden State walked into Barclays Center and came away with a 87-70 win over the star-studded Liberty.
The Valkyries are 3-1 to start the season, and 2-0 on the road. Golden State’s trip resumes tonight against the Indiana Fever.
It is unclear if the Valkryies will face star Caitlin Clark, who did not play in the Fever’s game against the Portland Fire on Wednesday despite not being on the injury report the previous day. She was ruled out due to a back injury two hours before the game.
It was a full team effort that saw five players score in double figures.
Gabby Williams led the way with 16 points. Veronica Burton and Kaila Charles each had 13 points. Janelle Salaün had 12 points and Kayla Thornton 11.
“I’m going to give a ton of credit to the players for locking into the details that we wanted to take away,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Credit to our players for bringing that type of heat with the amount of days off. It almost felt like we were some caged animals ready to go.”
The Valkyries hit 13-of-35 3-pointers, marking the third time this season they hit at least 10 shots from beyond the arc.
Golden State opened the first quarter strong, getting out to a 25-15 lead after the first quarter behind a flurry of Williams’ baskets.
Stewart took control in the second quarter, scoring seven points to cut the Valkyries’ lead to eight by halftime.
But there was no drop off from the road team.
Golden State outscored New York 21-12 in the third quarter, using an 8-0 run in the closing minutes to build a 17-point lead going into the final quarter.
“We just wanted to focus on our defense and ourselves going into this game,” Charles said.
Defense into offense
The Valkyries have made it clear that their offensive identity will start on the defensive end.
On Thursday, Golden State played the quintessential game.
The Valkyries turned 15 New York turnovers into 17 points. Sharpshooter Marine Johannes was held scoreless and the Liberty shot 6-for-24 from the 3-point line.
While Stewart and Jones combined for 34 points, no other starter had more than seven.
“We knew coming in that they like to shoot 3’s,” Burton said. “So just being physical and upping that physicality while meeting them early was big. I think we did a really good job of that.”
Tiffany Hayes returns
After missing the last two games with a finger injury, the 13-year veteran returned on Thursday night.
While she struggled to find her rhythm, Hayes gave Burton and Williams much-needed rest throughout the game. She finished with nine points, two assists and gave Nakase another ball handler off the bench.
Hayes got to the rim consistently off the pick and roll, and got to the free-throw line twice where she hit all four of her free throw attempts.
Stokes, Amihere shine
While the platoon center rotation of Kiah Stokes and Laeticia Amihere had its bumps early in the season, the two veteran centers were vital to Thursday’s win.
Stokes started her fourth straight game and scored six points and grabbed three rebounds. She hit her first two 3-pointers of the season, forcing Jones to play away from the rim while the Valkyries got consistent dribble drives to the rim.
Amihere came off the bench, scoring five points, grabbing eight rebounds and recording a steal. The former South Carolina standout had a few strong drives to the rim where she used her strength to finish over Jones and Stewart.
Stokes had a plus-minus rating of +6 while Amihere was +9.
Stanford alum signs developmental deal
Shortly before Thursday’s game, the Valkyries announced that they were bringing back former Stanford standout Ashten Prechtel on a developmental contract.
Prechtel will be able to play in 12 games this season.
The 6-foot-5 forward signed a hardship contract last week after injuries to Tiffany Hayes and Cecilia Zandalasini opened up a need for active bodies on Golden State’s bench.
Prechtel was waived on Tuesday, but has since cleared waivers and now occupies the Valkyries’ second and final developmental roster spot. She brings much needed size as well as a 3-point threat from the center position.
“She fits perfectly with us just in terms of high character,” Nakase said before Thursday’s game. “She’s selfless, she always thinks about the team first. On top of that, she has a high IQ.”
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