Golden State Valkyries defeated the New York Liberty 66-58 before a season-long 20th consecutive sellout crowd. The Valkyries held New York to 31.6% shooting and limited the Liberty to two first-half free-throw attempts. Temi Fagbenle led Golden State with 16 points and five rebounds while Kate Martin scored 11 off the bench and Janelle Salaun added 10. Monique Billings returned after a 14-game absence and contributed five points and three rebounds in 20 minutes. Natasha Cloud led New York with 19 points and Breanna Stewart made only four of 15 shots, getting most of her points from the line. Golden State now holds a one-game lead for the sixth seed.
SAN FRANCISCO The Valkyries looked as connected as they have all year on Tuesday night. Playing the star-studded New York Liberty, Golden State made all the right plays, hit all the necessary shots and kept the visiting team's high-powered offense in check. The result: The expansion team played perhaps its best game of the season, defeating the defending champion Liberty 66-58 in front of its 20th consecutive sellout crowd of the season.
Temi Fagbenle led the Valkyries with 16 points and five rebounds. Janelle Salaun had 10 points. Kate Martin came off the bench and scored 11 points. Monique Billings made her return to the lineup after missing the last 14 games with a right ankle sprain. She played 20 minutes, scored five points and grabbed three rebounds. Guard Natasha Cloud was a bright spot for the Liberty, leading New York with 19 points.
With the win, the Valkyries now have a one-game lead over the Indiana Fever for the sixth seed. A Los Angeles Sparks loss against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday and a Valkyries win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday would clinch a playoff spot for Golden State. Golden State fell behind by four points after the first quarter, but an offensive explosion in the second period gave the Valkyries a comfortable halftime lead.
Collection
[
|
...
]