Post-game Preseason 2: Valkyries win first game vs Mercury

almost blow lead in last minute, keeping the Golden State corporate motto alive: Always Close Enough To Hurt™

Apricot’s general takeaways

• GSV continues to be a scrappy hard-working team on defense, and a fast three-point shooting team. Unfortunately, there’s a difference between shooting threes and making threes.

• The team played PHX close in the minutes with players likely to be on the WNBA roster. GSV did pull away late, but it was during the end of a preseason game where typically players that won’t make the roster play.

  • Notably, for the ending, GSV played Vanloo so that there was some basic organization. Also, it helped players like Toure, who needs a proper point guard to set them up, to get a fair shot to display their talents. Of course, Vanloo — being the Goddess of Chaos — had her share of eye-popping passes and plays.

• The elephant in the room is that it is now two straight games where the starters (Fagbenle / Thornton / Hayes / Burton / Billings) could not score. Last game, the team missed its first 13 threes. This game, GSV missed its first 13 shots.

  • I don’t know if Coach Nakase will stick with the starters or sub in Talbot, the intended starter, or mixes in someone else. If she subs in Talbot, I am not sure who gets bumped.

• The Leite / Vanloo line was more productive today. They are the second string so they are playing against weaker lineups than the starters. Nonetheless, it’s food for thought for Nakase.

• The main change to the rotations was Amihere was one of the first subs, and Toure got a lot more time. I don’t think Toure is Top 12 out of training camp, but if several players get stashed, that may create openings. Amihere may have played herself onto the 12 player roster.

The Valkyries summary

Final Box

PHOENIX, Ariz. - The Golden State Valkyries earned their first-ever preseason victory on Sunday, defeating the Phoenix Mercury on the road, 84-79.

By the Numbers

• Golden State assisted on 21 of 25 made field goals in the contest.

• Migna Touré came off the bench with a game-high 19 points. Touré shot 53.8 percent (7-13) from the field, and 44.4 percent (4-9) from deep in 17 minutes of action.

• Kayla Thornton had 12 points, including nine in the first half, and four steals.

• The Valkyries got 51 points off the bench, led by Touré’s 19 and Carla Leite’s 11.

• Defensively, Golden State forced 10 steals and had 32 points off turnovers.

• The Valkyries once again put together another strong third quarter, outscoring the Mercury, 28-21 on 45.0 percent shooting (9-20), including 50.0 percent (7-14) from deep.

Game Rewind

Thornton scored Golden State’s first five points, capped off by a three-pointer off an assist from Veronica Burton. The Mercury pulled ahead, 9-5 following four consecutive points from Alyssa Thomas. Thornton knocked down two free throws with 24 seconds left, and then put the Valkyries up 15-14 on a driving layup to close out the first.

Laeticia Amihere began the second quarter with a steal that led to a Touré three-pointer, giving Golden State an 18-14 advantage. Phoenix bounced back with a 10-0 run to go back up by six. The hosts then pushed their lead to nine at 32-23, part of a 16-6 run in the closing minutes of the first half. Temi Fágbénlé made her first three of the preseason with 45 seconds left, narrowing the deficit to 34-29, and the Mercury answered the following possession with a jumper to go into the break 36-29.

Phoenix began the third with eight straight points to go up 15, 44-29. Tiffany Hayes ended the run with a three from the top of the key, and Burton followed with a three of her own to make it a nine-point contest. Thornton’s corner three off the swing pass from Burton with just over four minutes left sparked an 11-0 Golden State run. Leite joined the three-point party with her first of the preseason that cut the deficit to three, 49-46. Touré earned the and-one on a driving layup and completed the three-point play to tie things up, 54-54 with just over a minute left. Sami Whitcomb made a pair of free-throws to regain the Mercury advantage, but Touré followed with another triple for the one-point lead. Phoenix tied things up, 57-all on a Natasha Mack free throw to end the third. Golden State went on a 22-8 run in the last four minutes of the third quarter.

Leite made the three and the ensuing and-one free throw to begin the fourth, and Julie Vanloo put Golden State up by four with a layup. Chloe Bibby answered Phoenix’s three by knocking down Golden State’s 13th three-pointer of the day to put the Valkyries back up by three. The Mercury battled back down the stretch to cut it to two on Megan McConnell’s triple, however Touré answered with another three on another assist from Vanloo to go up 80-75 with 45 seconds left in regulation. Vanloo sealed the win with two free throws for the 84-79 victory.

Up Next

Golden State tips off its highly anticipated regular season opener on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. against Los Angeles at Chase Center.