Game 1 wrap: GSV thrills and fights but can't overcome Plum's record-setting 37
Vanloo explosion brings Valks to within 6 but closing lineup finally sags
Valkyries report:
The Golden State Valkyries tipped off their inaugural season home opener on Friday night, falling to Los Angeles, 84-67.
By the Numbers
The Valkyries drew a sellout attendance of 18,064, which is the second-highest attendance by a WNBA team in their first-ever home game (Washington Mystics - 20,674 on 6/19/1998)
Tonight’s attendance was also the sixth highest in a team’s first home game of the season.
Kayla Thornton recorded the first-ever points in franchise history at the 9:36 mark. Kate Martin handed out the first assist at 8:14, and Temi Fágbénlé knocked down the first three-pointer at 6:53 in the first quarter.
Tiffany Hayes led the team with 19 points on 43.8 percent (7-16) shooting and nine rebounds.
Fágbénlé posted 15 points on 75.0 percent (6-8) shooting, Julie Vanloo added 14 points off the bench, nine of which came in the third on three-straight threes.
Golden State had 19 assists on 29 field goals.
Apricot In-Game Notes plus Valkyries Official Game Rewind
As an experiment, I’m trying to interleave the official game rewind with my in-game notes.
I will definitely do videos. I’m thrilled about the GSV season but I’m also pretty worn out from the GSW season.
I’m playing with some ideas to combine GSV videos with a general intro-to-basketball series.
Honestly I’m just hoping for a typical expansion team 30% win rate with some great play and spirited competition.
Tipoff!
okay, kind of a surprise, Kate Martin in the starting lineup. I guess the lack of offense in the preseason was too much.
Looks like Thornton, Martin, Fagbenle, Burton, Hayes... so Billings to the bench
Thornton got things going with a defensive rebound and a layup in transition for the early 2-0 lead. Fágbénlé made a jumper off an assist from Veronica Burton to put the hosts up four. Los Angeles was able to tie things up at 8-8 on Azurá Stevens’ layup.
As advertised, very scrappy defense, aggressive into the body. Gave up a couple of cuts into the paint but rotated hard enough to perturb the shooters.
Hayes with a great drive, kept on turning her defender around. Makes up for the slightly out of control previous play losing the ball and then coughing up a pick-2
Hayes got the steal-and-score midway through the first quarter to give Golden State a 10-8 advantage, and Fágbénlé added a three the next possession. The back-and-forth continued with both teams trading baskets before Hayes’ three put the Valkyries up one going into the second.
LAS starting to overplay the passes on the perimeter and getting their hands on the interior passes to backdoor cuts. Fagbenle punishes a gamble with a three! The first 3 in franchise history.
Barbara Lee and Daniel Lurie are here, as mayors of Oakland and SF
Vanloo -- goddess of chaos -- and Leite and Billings in now with Thornton and Martin. Let the chaos begin in earnest
Vanloo has been surprisingly under control and directing traffic.
Leite showing her youth with about three bad turnovers in a row. A lot of potential, but not a great minute for her.
Great switch by Hayes on what looked to be an open three. Then grabbed a steal and set up Vanloo for an open 3 in transition (missed)
Vanloo with some tremendous passes including a behind the back for the heck of it.
Between quarters dance team is multiethnic, multi-gender, multi-age, multi-shaped. Pretty great. Violet Vibes.
Vanloo and Linskens are both (I believe) on the Belgium team and they are flashing a lot of passing chemistry
Leite with energy, but ANOTHER turnover.
Kelsey Plum cans an off the dribble 3, then dares Vanloo to shoot an open 3. Challenge accepted, three made.
Vanloo gave Golden State a 25-22 lead on her first three of the night.
Thornton-Fagbenle-Vanloo-Burton-Martin.
2 on the shot clock. Vanloo with a desperation catch and shoot -- good chaos activated -- score!
Burton doing it all, including OREB off her miss, to set up Temi 3.
Vanloo bad chaos there with a wild skip pass.
The Sparks put together a 9-0 run to go up 38-30.
LAS seems to have found something against the GSV pressure defense.
Ali Wong in the audience. Rousing ovation.
Brandi Chastain also
Seems like LAS Stevens has blocked ten shots but it's only officially been 3. GSV can get into the paint but intimidating.
Hayes with another electric open court drive.
LAS has gotten some great cuts into the paint for good shots. But that last one, a tremendous rotation to contest it. Very respectable half.
The Valkyries cut it to three on a Thornton jumper, and Burton knocked down two free throws in the final minute to go into halftime down 42-39.
TK has a picture of Kuminga sitting courtside with Joe and Nicole Lacob.
Kate Martin can get into the paint off the dribble but is getting blocked every time. This time got FTs but still. Podziemski vibes.
Martin made both free throws to start the second half for Golden State, and Hayes made a three a few minutes later to counter Kelsey Plum’s three-pointer the previous possession. Los Angeles pushed their lead to 53-44 on a 7-0 run.
Better interior D to start H2. Pushing the post ups out a few feet.
Unfortunately, that means Plum has cooked from 3. GSW going a bit cold from 3 and LAS starting to heat up from 3.
Vanloo back, and fans starting to get with the Looooo greeting.
Hayes with an amazing finish over Stevens. But GSV have to make minor miracles to finish over Stevens.
Vanloo-Billings high pick and roll. Vanloo can get the switch and then get into the paint, but then what... ? Kick out to corner but that pass is being contested.
Cathy Engelbert and Doc Rivers are here. PODZIEMSKI is here... rocking a Billings jersey.
NBA fans may have all kind of feelings about Doc Rivers, but he was Coach Nakase’s mentor when she worked for the LA Clippers, and it was pretty cool for him to fly in to support her. At her press conference, she talked about how heartwarming that was.
Hayes beat the crap out of the paint cutter ... good fight in there to contest the paint better. Sadly the LAS 3 point hot stretch might be hard for GSV to overcome without forcing more turnovers.
Vanloo with a great find in transition for an open 3 (miss) then gets the rebound, gets in the air on a wild drive and throws a pick-3. Good chaos, bad chaos.
GSV is getting some good looks from 3 but can't hit. That's basically the difference in the game.
Leite back in. Let's see if she's settled down after that wild stretch in H1.
Goddess of chaos Julie Vanloo with a 3 and then a heat check 3… heat confirmed. Right after throwing a bad pass. Good chaos and bad chaos
Get out of here. GSV runs a horns flare for Vanloo, covered well, Julie shoots anyway, HEAT DOUBLE CONFIRMED
And then Vanloo PNR hunting a fourth straight three, almost goes in then a nice putback.
Then Vanloo creates an open three, then chucks a bad pass.
Love watching her play, good and bad chaos. She’s the embodiment of that clip of Kerr hands on head over Steph Curry’s wild play
With just under three to go, Vanloo knocked down a three, then followed up with another to cut it to nine and force a Sparks timeout. Vanloo continued her sharp shooting out of the break with her third consecutive three, all on assists from Fágbénlé, that made it 62-56. Golden State ended the third on a 12-4 run to cut the deficit to six, 66-60.
Good GSV D on that basket cut. That was killing GSV in Q2.
Good spontaneous Beat LA chant too
I've been waiting for the world's first Valkyries Ref You Suck chant. It's coming...
Bad chaos there with Vanloo tapping out a rebound and a bunch of players saving the ball under their own basket until the inevitable punishment
Kuminga, Looney, Buddy Hield with his two kids and Steve Kerr all get nice ovations in the audience
LAS double teaming Vanloo now. Vanlloo with an, uh, ambitious pass to the paint cutter, turnover.
Hayes opened the fourth with a nice behind-the-back dribble to the layup, but Los Angeles once again put together a 7-0 run to go up 11 before Billings made a three from the wing.
Apparently WNBA refs do not announce their own challenge rulings. I never noticed this.
I wonder if Nakase is going to ride this lineup (Thornton, Fagbenle, Billings, Hayes, Vanloo) home... she's got to rest them some, right? Hayes and Vanloo look like they are getting wilder (scary thought) with fatigue
Reader, it turned out that she did not rest them for lack of good subs and they did bonk with fatigue.
GSV surprise trap on Plum and it works despite the open roller to the basket.
Podz throwing t-shirts into the stands now
Appreciate the fight from Hayes, but big shove to Plum offball may be the last nail in the coffin. Plum pouring in a very efficient 33 points is just too much for GSV to overcome as they try to gel as a team.
Golden State struggled offensively, scoring just seven points in the quarter as Los Angeles closed out the win on an 18-5 run for the season-opening victory.
Yep Plum is apparently still a great player. Now at 37 points wooof
Very fun game, no shame in getting beat down by Plum.
New game thread up!
One thing I should have pointed out. Doc Rivers came to the game! NBA fans may have all kind of feelings about Doc, but he was Coach Nakase’s mentor when she worked for the LA Clippers, and it was pretty cool for him to fly in to support her. At her press conference, she talked about how heartwarming that was.