Golden State 75, Minnesota 81
By the Numbers
- The Valkyries recorded their 32nd consecutive regular-season sellout with 18,064. Golden State has sold out every regular season game in team history.
- Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting (46.7 percent), and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Zandalasini also tied her career high for points in a half with 14 in the first.
- Gabby Williams scored 15, marking her sixth straight game in double figures. Williams also added a season-high eight rebounds.
- Janelle Salaün added 15 points and six rebounds for the Valkyries, with a team-high four offensive rebounds.
- Laeticia Amihere had two big blocks on consecutive Lynx attempts under the basket, and added four rebounds and one steal in just over 10 minutes.
- Veronica Burton added five assists and two steals.
Quotes
HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:
ON TONIGHT’S LOSS:
“I was proud of the way they competed. I thought they competed really well, that we got good minutes from LA [Laeticia Amihere]. She brought a spark off the bench, and then I thought Ceci [Cecilia Zandalasini], considering how she's been playing, I thought she took full advantage of her minutes tonight. She held it down, she really led us in the scoring, and I think we're just continuing to improve each game.”
ON THE DEPTH OF THE TEAM:
“I was really proud we were able to go deeper. LA [Laeticia Amihere] came in and she gave us a spark that we needed… She came in and she impacted the game on both ends. We're still continuing to learn and build through each game. We're still early in the season and I can continue to reach out for any player and think they're going to impact. That’s what I liked, LA was ready and that's hard. It's hard to stay ready like she did, so I just want to give her credit, and my coaching staff for making sure that she's ready for the game.”
ON THE TAKEAWAYS FROM TONIGHT:
“I think every loss is a great learning experience. One of the coolest things about me coaching this team is they don't point the finger, and right now they're already taking accountability of what they're going to do tomorrow. How they're going to get recovery, and what their game plan is in terms of how early they're going to come in tomorrow to be prepared for when we go over Vegas. I'm lucky I have 14 players that love basketball, that love to be coached hard, that love to be challenged, and they take responsibility. But it's my job to make things a little bit cleaner and to clean up the mistakes.”
GOLDEN STATE FORWARDS GABBY WILLIAMS AND CECILIA ZANDALASINI:
ON KEYS TO REBOUND CONSISTENCY:
Zandalasini: “Effort. I would say effort, and you just gotta go for it. You have to want it more than them. We were switching, so they had some size advantages, but we have to help each other be better on those things when we know we're switching.”
ON TONIGHT’S SETBACK:
Williams: “They have a great roster. It was just the effort of not getting those rebounds. Every offensive rebound they got felt like it ended in a three-point basket. Yeah, that it definitely is a momentum shifter.”
ON COMPETING AGAINST MINNESOTA:
Zandalasini: “They’re a very good team. They have good players. When you play those teams, it always comes down to the little things, the details, and we're getting closer. We're going to get there.”
Up Next: The Valkyries visit Las Vegas this Sunday, June 21 at 1 pm PT on CBS and The Audacy App.
