The Golden State Valkyries got run out of the building and out of the desert on Sunday, dropping one of their worst losses of the year, 101-77 to the Las Vegas Aces. They only had to wait three days for a chance exact revenge, and this time they would get to be at home.
On Wednesday, they put forth a much more valiant effort, but ultimately fell short against an Aces team that, despite having a similar record to the Valkyries, simply possesses far more talent.
The game started slowly, with neither team being able to find much offensive rhythm early. Four minutes in, a three from Cecilia Zandalasini stood as the only points of the game for Golden State. It was a grind it out affair for the opening quarter, and Golden State’s defense on three-time MVP A’ja Wilson was admirable. Wilson got hers, but nothing came easy, and a hard-earned bucket in the paint with 2:39 remaining was the last time she, or her team, would score in the first quarter. The Valkyries ended the first frame on a run, but still trailed 16-14 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the hustle and activity started to result in offense, and the nets got a workout for the first time all game. The Valkyries grabbed momentum early as the fans at Ballhalla got louder and louder. They muscled their way to the hoop, earning shots at the rim and at the charity stripe, and scored the first nine points of the frame, resulting in a 14-0 run that spanned the two quarters, and giving them their first lead of the game. It was accompanied by a spirited defensive effort, but eventually the All-Star trio of Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young started to find easy buckets. Vegas locked down defensively, turned the tied, and pulled right back into the game, and eventually re-took the lead.
It looked like the Aces would take all the momentum into the locker rooms after regaining control of the action, but standout rookie Janelle Salaün had different plans. Salaün sunk an impressive bucket with barely a second remaining, which capped a hectic sequence — both teams scored seven points in the final 80 seconds. It put some life in the Chase Center, but the Aces led 43-38 at the break.
The second half began like the first: offense was hard to come by for both teams, and the action was defined more by grit and effort than finesse and highlights. On the one hand, the Valkyries do that better than any team in the league, with opposing coach Becky Hammon mentioning that Golden State is the hardest playing team in the league. On the other hand, raw talent has a way of winning out when games get ugly, and that was the case. Despite the best efforts of GSV’s defense, Wilson showed off the abilities that have made her one of the greatest players in WNBA history, well before her 30th birthday.
Great offense beats great defense as they say, and Wilson was living proof of that. While she didn’t actually do much scoring in the quarter, it was her gravity and quarterbacking of the offense that opened the court up for Gray, Young, and Jewell Loyd. But it was Wilson’s star defense that really set the tone, as the Valkyries spent the bulk of the third quarter desperately searching for buckets. It was a tied game, 48-48, with less than five minutes remaining in the third, but when the buzzer rang, Vegas held a commanding 64-54 lead.
The Valkyries put their best foot forward in the fourth quarter, but it just wasn’t enough. They kept making pushes, even getting it to a three-point game past the halfway mark. But Vegas had an answer at every turn, and it never felt like the veteran Aces would squander the lead they’d worked so hard for. Perhaps if the Valkyries still had Kayla Thornton, they could have gotten over the hump; but the star suffered a season-ending injury a few weeks ago, and as a result, Golden State just didn’t have enough firepower.
When the dust settled, the Aces had won 78-72, and the Valkyries had dipped below .500, with a 14-15 record. Tiffany Hayes led the way for Golden State with 14 points, nine rebounds, and some impressive defense, while Salaün (13), Kaila Charles (11), and Carla Leite (11) also finished in double figures.
But that was no match for the superstar that is Wilson. She looked every bit the part on Wednesday, shooting a nearly perfect 8-for-11 from the field and an actually perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Vegas outscored Golden State by 18 points in the 32 minutes that Wilson played; the Valkyries outscored the Aces by 12 points in the eight minutes that she sat.
The Valkyries will get a chance to return to .500 on Saturday when they host the Los Angeles Sparks at 5:30 p.m. PT.