At the Valkyries, the Wings created a second-quarter hole that they were unable to escape.
The Dallas Wings (20-16) lost 78-70 to the Golden State Valkyries (25-9) at Chase Center on Monday despite being short-staffed. With the victory, the Valkyries secured a postseason berth. Paige Bueckers scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half of the defeat, while Gabby Williams topped all scorers with 23 points in the victory.
The Wings have faltered against the top clubs in the league this season and have regressed due to injury, though they may not be in much danger of falling any lower in the standings than they already are.
When Tiffany Hayes made a 3-pointer from 33 feet away in the closing seconds of the first quarter, the Wings handed up their early advantage. Dallas had a 20-19 deficit going into the second half despite shooting 9-of-16 from the field in the first. After one game, Alanna Smith led Dallas with nine points, shooting four out of five from the field.
In the opening 13 minutes of the game, the Wings made six turnovers, including consecutive throwaways with 6:30 remaining in the second quarter against some of the most annoying perimeter defense the team has encountered this season. The Valkyries’ first-half momentum was then increased when Valerie Burton picked up an errant pass from Bueckers halfway through the second half and Alysha Clark threw it away on consecutive possessions. With 4:25 remaining in the first half, Cecilia Zandalasini made a disputed perimeter jumper that increased Golden State’s lead to 33-25 and their run to 11-2. The mobility of the ball and body that had produced that early 15-8 advantage disappeared.
With fewer than two minutes remaining in the first half, Burton made two more 3-pointers to increase Golden State’s lead to 42-28, turning the situation from dangerous to utterly pointless. In the opening two quarters, the Valkyries outscored the Wings from distance 24–6. The Wings laid an egg in the second half and trailed 44-28 at the interval.
Golden State is arguably the hardest team in the league to rally from a 16-point halftime hole, but Dallas showed some flashes of life to begin the third quarter. Bueckers made two baskets early in the third half after missing six consecutive to close the first. However, the Wings exchanged those buckets with the Valkyries. When you’re up against the league’s top defensive team, you can’t be in the business of trading buckets.
With 3:40 remaining in the third quarter, Bueckers sank her first 3-pointer of the game from halfway across The Bay to narrow the Valkyries’ lead to 52-44. However, Golden State quickly recovered with a response from Janelle Salaun a minute later to keep the Wings at a distance. With 1:10 remaining in the game, former Wing Kaila Charles was the lone player to score on a tip-in underneath, giving the Valkyries a 61-46 lead. The Wings were behind 62-46 going into the fourth quarter.
After falling behind by as many as 20 points early in the fourth quarter, Alanna Smith’s steal and goal in transition helped the Wings cut the Golden State lead to 11 points, down 66-55 halfway through. However, Dallas was not deceiving anyone, even as they outscored Golden State 28–12 in the closing minutes. The Wings have now dropped eight of their last 11 games because it was too little, too late.
Alysha Clark takes the lead.
Alysha Clark started in place of Azzi Fudd (knee) and Aziaha James (leg) against the Valkyries after Jessica Shepard returned to the starting lineup. Head coach Jose Fernandez looked to Clark rather than starting three big men against an athletic Golden State team because the rotation is sparse at wing and Clark can defend.
With the Wings leading 15–8 at the end of the first quarter, Clark scored 6:30 with the starters before Awak Kuier took his position in the lineup. With barely one second remaining in the first quarter, Hayes’ first three-ball of the game gave Golden State a 20-19 lead.
Before Awak Kuier replaced him in the starting lineup, Clark scored 6:30 with the starters as the Wings led 15–8 at the end of the first quarter. Hayes’ first three-ball of the game gave Golden State a 20-19 lead with just one second left in the first quarter.
Hole in the second quarter
The Wings were unable to overcome the hole they had opened for themselves in the second quarter. They turned the ball over five times in the session while scoring nine points collectively on a dismal 3-of-14 shooting. They handed Golden State seconds by settling for contested shots early in the shot clock after feeding the Valkyries’ 16-3 run to close the half.
On the other end, Burton posed a threat, shooting 3-of-3 from downtown in the second half while feasting on open looks from the perimeter. With 11 points apiece at the half, Burton and Gabby Williams—who is currently the clear favorite to win WNBA Defensive Player of the Year—led all scorers.
Burton’s nine points throughout the quarter equaled Dallas’ total offensive production.
Turn the Paige on this one
Bueckers scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting in the third quarter against the Valkyries, and he made some excellent shots in the fourth. However, for one of the top young players in the league, it was just another game with a poor start. In the defeat, she also made a season-high seven mistakes with the ball.
Fernandez started the fourth quarter with Bueckers resting because the Wings were behind by 16 points going into the quarter. The Wings simply lacked the firepower to hold off the Valkyries until it was too late on Monday, whether Bueckers was on the court or not. In the defeat, Dallas only made 5 of 21 3-point attempts (23.8%).