SAN FRANCISCO — It took less than two minutes for the Valkyries to take the heart of the WNBA’s most star-studded teams.
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Clinging onto a one-point lead at the end of the second quarter, the packed crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center was mostly quiet as a choppy first half kept the New York Liberty at arm’s length of the Valkyries’ lead for much of the first two quarters.
But a spirited run by Golden State at the end of the second period woke up the Ballhalla faithful and left the East Coast visitors scrambling for answers.
The Valkyries scored 11 unanswered points to end the second quarter, giving them the momentum to beat the Liberty 76-67 to end their three-game homestand against the top-two teams in the Eastern Conference standings undefeated. It was the Liberty’s lowest-scoring game of the season.
“I just feel as though we were really connected,” point guard Veronica Burton said. “When you hold a team like New York to 15 points or less in two of the quarters, that’s a really good defensive game.”
Golden State (13-7) never trailed and held Walnut Creek native and Liberty star point guard Sabrina Ionescu to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting. The Valkyries held a double-digit lead for much of the second half before letting their foot off the gas in the closing minutes.
The Valkyries used a balanced scoring attack with Kaila Charles leading the way with 13 points. Kayla Thornton scored 11 points while Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaün each added 10.
All-Star Breanna Stewart had 15 points and Jonquel Jones had a game-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds for the Liberty (12-8).
After two physical games against the Dream, a tightly-officiated first half against the Liberty led to 25 fouls between the two teams.
The Liberty got as close as they would ever get when Jones hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 30-29 with just over two minutes left in the first half.
On the next possession, the Valkyries responded with a deep 3-pointer from Zandalasini, and the run started from there.
Thornton knocked down a late-clock 3-pointer, Gabby Williams hit a 30-foot pull-up and Salaün put in a tough shot at the rim to cap off an 11-0 run, giving the Valkyries a 41-29 lead at halftime.
Despite staring down a double-digit lead, a Liberty comeback was not out of the realm of possibilities. The Valkyries’ offensive droughts this season have largely come in the third quarter, and the Liberty have the talent to put up points in a hurry.
But the Valkyries made sure New York wouldn’t even come close.
Golden State outscored the Liberty 23-19 in the third quarter to secure a comfortable 16-point lead by the time the final 10 minutes rolled around.
After trailing by as much as nine, the Liberty cut the Valkyries’ advantage to a little as 13. But New York struggled to get stops on the other end as Golden State cruised to another win.
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“We’re taking steps forward in terms of consistency. That was our biggest message from every game from Atlanta to New York,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “I think you know the challenge has been met. You can see that you can kind of feel it too. I think every time our communication actually gets better and better each quarter. So, moving in the right direction for us and continuing to just focus on us.”
Burton gets back on track
After a rough stretch of recent games, point guard Veronica Burton was quintessential in Sunday’s win.
The reigning most improved player of the year totaled eight points and eight assists. She hit her lone 3-point attempt and had a plus-minus rating of +25.
“VB is definitely our leader, our floor general and I just think that’s just something she does every single day. We ask her to do a lot,” Charles said. “She plays the point guard in our offense, but then she’s also guarding the best players on the other team. And that’s not really easy, but the fact that she has this composure and she can take the weight and the responsibility by holding her head high. She does a great job of being a great leader, and that also brings all of us up with her.”
Ionescu, DeMarco return
Sunday’s game was a homecoming for Ionescu and coach Chris DeMarco.
DeMarco, a Marin County native, spent 15 seasons with the Golden State Warriors as an assistant under Steve Kerr and played at Dominican University in 2008.
The Liberty’s staff has a heavy Bay Area influence with former Piedmont High star Courtney Paris and St. Ignatius alum Addi Walters on staff.
“I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for this organization,” DeMarco said before Sunday’s game. Obviously, I spent half my career in this building after we left Oakland, and it’s been awesome seeing all the familiar faces. I have deep appreciation for all the people who’ve helped me grow my career, and this is home for me.”
Ionescu was one of the Bay Area’s most decorated high school basketball players during her time at Miramonte High in Orinda.
She scored 2,606 points and is the school’s all-time leader in assists (769), steals (549) and triple-doubles (21). She was named a McDonald’s All-American as a senior.
“The first game I look at when the schedule comes out is when do I get to go home, so I’m really excited,” Ionescu said. “We’ll have a lot of family here, and it will be nice to play in front of the home crowd.”
Important wins
With Sunday’s win, the Valkyries (13-7) clinched the season series against the Liberty.
The Liberty are currently two spots back of the Valkyries in the playoff standings. Golden State also captured the season series against the Dream, who are currently fourth.
In the month June, the Valkyries went 8-4 with every loss going to either Minnesota or Las Vegas – the two top teams in the league respectively.
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