Game 12 wrap: Shorthanded Valkyries storm back from down 13 to beat Caitlin Clark's Fever going away

Much needed scoring from supersubs Amihere and Bibby. Lineup controversy incoming?

Great victory. Outstanding defense (traps/hard show on Clark, great rotations in paint and disrupting entry passes to Boston) and just enough offense to make it work.  

Clark was bottled up scoring-wise, but made all the right passes to capitalize on her gravity (mainly via Boston, Howard and Mitchell). But GSV did an outstanding job in the second half rotating to the outlet pass and getting a bunch of steals. GSV’s slightly challenged half court offense desperately needed that supercharge.

• Box Score

Apricot’s In-Game Notes

On Eurobasket

• Temi’s GBR team down 20 to ESP. Temi herself is filling the box score off the bench, leading the team in Efficiency. Ther perfect combo: Temi proving herself to be great and on track to come home early.

• Juste’s Lithuania is up 7 on SRB. Juste 2nd in efficiency. This this case, Juste wasn’t going to join until next year anyway, so LTH is welcome to stay for the whole tournament.

  https://www.fiba.basketball/en/events/fiba-womens-eurobasket-2025/games

• Group stage, if finish top 2 out of group of 4, then advance to knockout stage.

• In first half, Zandalasini absolutely torching SLO on 5-5 shooting, 3-3 3P, 3 REB, 2 AST, +17 efficiency with next closest teammate at +7. Would be great for Z to come back to GSV sharpened and confident.

• Juste second on team with +20 eff, 13-8-8… pretty great game for being gassed. On to knockout.

• Z leads in eff, leads the ITA win. Unfortunately. Z will be gone the whole EuroBasket.

• BEL crushes. Meesseman dominant, but #2 and #3 on the team in Eff… Vanloo and Linskens (whom I count as an Honorary Valkyrie). BEL surely will go to knockout.

• So only hope of early return is Fagbenle.

Q1

• Q1.8.23. Several plays in a row IND tried to go inside. Finally a Clark PNR and pull up 3. 

• 7.43. Caitlin stopped on drive, feeds post again. She does set an away screen for a shooter but Boston definitely not looking to pass. Miss. 

• 6.25. Two straight layups for Howard. In theory, IND should be attacking inside since GSV sent its two centers to Eurobasket. Now a Boston layup. 

• 5.10. IND Boston is intimidating all the drives into the paint even without blocking them. 

• KT gets DHO from VB forcing a switch. Gets into the paint on the mismatch but muffs the little floater.

• 3.35. That forcing it into the post strat is working. If the entry pass goes in, GSV has no answer.  But honestly GSV is getting looks from 3 but shooting 1-6. 

• 3.08. The Chloe Bibby Era has begun. Immediately gets isoed by Clark, blown by but great help side defense. Now 

• 1.59. Crowd extremely displeased with the foul on Amihere’s super block. Ball only partially lied. 

• 1.48. Leite calls for screen but isos. Then misses a jumper. Now 1-8 from 3. 

• 1.22. Very nice play. Leite-LA PNR, Gets Boston in drop coverage, LA rolls behind, Cunningham rotates from low weak side, pass to Bibby cutting behind the help.  

• Q1.0.00. On the good side, GSV held Clark scoreless. On the bad side, it’s because IND was bludgeoning GSV inside. 

Q2

• On the good side, I always enjoy the Violet Vibes dance team. Multi-generational, multi-ethnic, multi-gender, multi-shapes. 

• Q2.9.24. Clark gets LA switch on her, but that left Leite covering Boston. IND prioritizes that mismatch inside. Interesting priorities. Covered well, but Cunningham bails them out with a 3.

• 8.47. Great backcut by Leite inbounding for the layup.

• 8.30. GSV punishing IND’s help at the nail by lifting Leite up to the top. I like how Leite drove instead of firing the open 3. Her jumper hasn’t been working. 

• 7.40. Bibby has come in firing. Nice simple pick and pop. Two go to help on Leite, kick to open Bibby who has been firing away with a Salaun-like lack of conscience. 

• 6.20. If Boston is making GSV feel her size, Leite is making IND feel her speed. 

• 5.50. GSV does a hard show and recover on Clark and CC dices it up with a quick pass to Boston for an easy layup.  Feels like IND is killing the overhelp on Clark, but it’s actually only a 4 point lead.

• 5.35. GSV has been running an action of a wing pick and roll with the roller going down the middle. IND sends aggressive help off the top of the arc, kick to top. In this case, KT converts the 3.  GSV is 3-13 right now which is bad but not as bad as 1-8.

• 4.45. CC isos Kate Martin. Gets by but muffs the layup. Kate wins that round. 

• 3.30. GSV traps Clark on the sideline. Gets it to Boston for an elbow jumper, whew miss. 

• 2.36. Chloe Bibby showing she’s the best shooter in the world? 3-4, 2-3 3P.  That’s the Golden State spirit!  When a role player gets hot, force feed until they miss. Bibby missed a heat check when Tip force fed her. 

• 1.20. Another hard show / trap on Clark. Ejects to Boston but great aggressive attack on the pass, steal.

• 0.58. Bibby shoots an ill advised shot, but it does guarantee the 2-for-1 at 0:30. 

• 0.25. Bibby smashing against Boston’s iso. Boston wins. 

• 0.05. Another trap on Clark. GSV is going to do this until IND can punish it. Which happens when Boston shoots a wide open 3 to take us to halftime.

Q3

• Q3.10.00.

• The good thing about GSV shooting so badly from 3 all season is that it makes it extra special with a 3 goes in. 

• I’m not happy that GSV and IND will spend the second half shooting in front of the opposing bench. Very bad for celebration analysis of late game shots. If it gets that close, I have to remember to take my own video of the GSV bench. 

• 9.30. IND runs an inverted screen Clark pick for Boston to avoid the GSV trap. 

• 8.50. GSV still going to that wing PNR, invite the help and then swing to top. 

• Leite with an impressive leap over the baseline chairs to avoid injury. 

• 7.40. GSV with the hard show on Clark again, roller gets free to the basket, the attempted charge is too late. 

• Talbot has not been shooting well, but she has hustled her butt off. Two straight TOVs. Unfortunately, GSV has missed three straight point blank layups. I think they are intimidated by the concept of Boston. Getting decent shots. Now 5-22 from three.

• Talbot gets another steal, coming as the double team on Boston.

• 4.43. Nakase races out to scold the refs for not calling a foul on the body check, sending Leite into the stands. Let’s just say that if that was Clark getting fouled, that would have launched a lot of bad faith opinion pieces.

• 4.25. Clark is 1-9 for 5 PTS. But she’s made the right play and kicked it out of shows and traps. 7 assists and more hockey assists. 

• 3.45. Amihere runs the pet play for her: fake dribble handoff keeper. Scores again. She does have a knack for scoring in iso, which most GSV players lack. 

• 2.45. Was curious where that Leite-Martin small small PNR was going. Sadly, there was a foul. 

• 2.09. Amihere with a THIRD straight score. Actually, Martin with an impressive fadeaway before this one. Tip drives into the paint (Tip is the other GSV player left who can create her own shot) and kicks it to Amihere. She dribbles around looking for a dribble handoff, finds that IND messes up its switch and no one covers her. Layup. 

• 1.33. Stagger screen for Amihere to try to get the switch. Mitchell goes under to avoid the switch.  Amihere attacks anyway and is fouled.  

• 0.50. Amihere with a FLYING steal. IND messes up the assignments and Kate with a big time long three. CC comes right back with a looping layup.  KM again with a fadeaway over CC. 4 point game. 

Q4

• Q4. 10.00. IND runs a stagger screen for CC, Bibby show and recover, but IND called for illegal screen.

• 9.10. IND can’t quite handle Amihere.

• 8.45. CC same stagger screen. This time she forces the switch to Bibby. Drives, overhelp in paint, kick out, Colson nice drive.

• 8.00. That nice GSV HORNS play which is a PNR between the elbows. In this case, it’s Hayes-Amihere, the two scorers. Help shades to Amihere, Tip goes in for the layup. 

• 7.40. Clark fakes the stagger screen, the last screener pops this time and is guarded well, Clark keeps it, gets a step on the drive but Burton with good rotation, and a thumping block (not in the stands, this is a practical block). Good bomb to the running Bibby for a three point leads. 

• 7.29. They’ve enlisted Podziemski to launch the T-shirt Toss. Corporate synergy!

• 7.04. Same HORNS elbow PNR Tip-Let. Tip gets fouled. 

• 6.50. Boston tests Billings with a post up. I guess Billings passed the test, she kicks it out. 

• Natasha Howard has been doing work on the boards. Tough OREB.VB finally gets a 3 to go after going 0-5.  UP FOUR.

• Massive foul on Boston for her fifth. 

• ALWAYS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HURT™ 

• Q4.4.00.

• GSV up 7 for a nanosecond, but IND storms back to within 2. 

• 3.23. KT gets isoed on Clark in transition. She goes to post her up. IND help comes long rotation from the top. That leaves Mo open for 3. Miss but a sweet OREB and instant attack for and-1. Miss FTA but great hustle to get the ball back.

• Nakase gets Amihere back in for defense, takes out Billings with 4 fouls, living on the edge with her. 

• In the crowd: Steve Kerr and Juan Toscano-Anderson, I already mentioned Podziemski. Also Bay FC team

• 3.18. Cool ATO SLOB (after timeout sideline out of bounds play). Bibby sets backscreen, instant roll to basket for layup, fouled.

• 3.12. Far be it from me to judge local emergent customs, but I don’t know about the crowd doing The Wave. It is very big and well done though.

• 3.12. Boston looked like she had a clear path but great rotation sending help to the paint.

• 2.30. GSV runs the same HORNS elbows PNR (the playcall is some number I think “HORNS n”. I’ll have to look it up from past games. Maybe you can see it on TV.  Anyway, IND overplays the entry pass, so Tip converts it to a pop to the opposite wing. Very clever. 

• 1.40. VB gets CC on a switch, immediate drive and gets fouled. 

• GSV is up and pulling away. Great victory. Outstanding defense (traps/hard show on Clark, great rotations in paint and disrupting entry passes to Boston) and just enough offense to make it work.  

• Great scoring from supersubs Amihere and Bibby.  Lineup controversy coming?

Post-game

• Kayla Thornton post-game: “We are all stars in our own way. We are all dogs.”

  Fact-check: true

• Nakase: Adjustments in coverage in paint at halftime. Great effort in second half.

  LA (Amihere) is mature and a true pro. Hung with it after getting cut and stayed in shape on her own.

• NN: coaches do a ton behind the scenes. Supportive texts and encouragement.

  Tip guarded CC in Q4 since saw that matchup last year.

  Guarding CC: Was physical. Take away the left step back.

• NN: we talk about being the best defensive team.

  Credit to Ohemaa that the team is so deep. And lots of bonding in training camp. So KT can go at people and yell but people know it’s family.

• NN: put Bibby in actions she likes to get a 3.

  They saw that she could pop in training camp.

  Boston adjustments. We’re guarding her the wrong way and got on top on duck ins. Improved rotation from low man.

• NN: defense can be leaned on… IF it stays consistent. Have to be intentional about scheduling defense practice with the rough travel schedule.

  Watched film about tough rebounds, diving for balls, play hard. Thus selected 12 dogs from the start.