Valkyries can't continue first-half success, fall to unbeaten Minnesota
For the second time in as many games, the Golden State Valkyries faltered in the second half to fall short of an improbable upset.
This time, though, instead of late mistakes, the Golden State offense went cold Sunday night while the Minnesota Lynx shredded a porous Valkyries' perimeter defense in an 86-75 loss at Chase Center.
Four days after nearly defeating the defending-champion New York Liberty, the Valkyries held their own against the Lynx for the first half before a dismal eight-point third quarter. Against the Liberty, turnovers and late errors stopped the upset bid. Against the Lynx, it was 26.6% second-half shooting that did in the Valkyries (2-4).
A career-high 14-point performance from Kate Martin — all of it coming in the second quarter — buoyed the Valkyries to a one-point halftime lead against last year's WNBA runners-up., But the Lynx lit up the scoreboard with a 42.3% percentage from distance (11 of 26), the second consecutive game in which the Valkyries allowed at least 40% 3-point shooting. Golden State shot 26.5% (9 of 34) from deep.
Veronica Burton led the Valkyries with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Napheesa Collier, who was a game-time decision with a knee injury, led the Lynx (7-0) with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Minnesota jumped out to an eight-point lead less than two minutes into the second quarter with a 16-3 run that began at the end of the first frame against the Valkyries' second unit.
After a pair of Tiffany Hayes free throws, Martin scored all of her points as a part of a 16-5 run, including a four-point play, to put Golden State up 42-37 with 4:33 to play in the second.
By the third quarter, though, the Valkyries' offense disappeared.
The Lynx went on an 8-0 run over 91 seconds to take a nine-point lead late in the third quarter. The Valkyries then went scoreless from the 1:28 mark of the third quarter to 6:58 in the fourth, when Burton made a free throw.
Golden State inched back to an 11-point deficit with 1:28 to go, but never got closer.
Briefly: The Valkyries' injury report was clean entering Sunday's game for the first time this season. … Hayes (nine points) was back after a nose injury that cost her three contests, but she took a hit to the face early in the fourth quarter and exited the game. … Sunday's was the Valkyries' first in the Commissioner's Cup, a six-game in-season tournament against Western Conference foes for the chance to face the Eastern Conference winner in a title game for a $500,000 pool. … Golden State will travel to Phoenix on Thursday for their first regular-season matchup with the Mercury (5-2).
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