Golden State 84, Los Angeles 78
By the Numbers
- Cecilia Zandalasini led Golden State with 15 points, shooting 5-8 (62.5%) from the field and a perfect 5-5 from three (a new season high for Zandalasini), while adding seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Zandalasini also scored Golden State's first points in the contest for the 11th time this season, the most such games for any Golden State player this season.
- Tiffany Hayes contributed 14 points, shooting 5-8 (62.5%) from the field, 2-3 from beyond the arc, and 2-2 from the line, adding three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes.
- Kayla Thornton finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, including six defensive.
- Veronica Burton added team-highs on both assists and steals, finishing with seven assists and three steals to go with seven points.
- Kiah Stokes grabbed seven rebounds, including a team-high five offensive rebounds. Stokes also added three assists.
- Janelle Salaün scored eight points and had a pair of threes, none bigger than the 26 footer with 34 seconds left to put Golden State back up by six and help seal the win.
- Golden State recorded 29 points in the first quarter, a season high for points scored in a quarter.
- The Valkyries held Los Angeles to just 32 points in the first half, tied for their fewest points in any half this season.
- The Valkyries had 22 assists, reaching the 20+ assist mark for the sixth straight game.
- All 10 Valkyries players who appeared in the game scored against the Sparks tonight.
Quotes
HEAD COACH NATALIE NAKASE:
ON THE TEAM’S DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE:
“We’ve just got to make sure we maintain because they were really attacking the paint, putting their heads down, and attacking the paint. So we've just got to make sure we control the ball as best as we can, be in early shifts, not let up. We have to do a better job on the boards, and so thank God we shot well in the first to maintain the type of aggression that they had in the fourth. I thought we did a good job in terms of our composure…It was really good in terms of V's [Veronica Burton’s] leadership to compose, to call what she saw, and then big shots by Gabby [Williams] and Ja [Janelle Salaün] down the stretch.”
ON HER SUCCESS AS A COACH:
“It's credit to my players. It really is. I'm not making one basket, y'all…I'm not making a clutch three like Ja [Janelle Salaün]. I'm not getting a big stop like Ja down the stretch. I'm not taking any charges. It's the players, and so credit goes to them. They are the ones sweating out there, adjusting to the adjustments, adjusting to this fan base was crazy today. Just staying calm in chaotic environments. It's them. I would also credit to my staff, the teaching, the love, the care. I think it's because we might go beyond the X's and O's here. We really do a good job of being there when they need it. If a player is down, or maybe a player is getting homesick, or if a player just needs to talk and vent, our coaching staff is there, so I would say it's more of our coaching staff and our players more than myself.”
ON HOW THE VALKYRIES’ BIGS SHOWED UP TONIGHT:
“She's [Kiah Stokes’] a fighter. It doesn't matter how large her opponent is. She fights. She constantly fights. I think she's doing a great job of moving her feet. That's what Kiah [Stokes] does, is that Kiah will never be undersized because she has such great footwork…I think Ja [Janelle Salaün] is building that. She's learning from Kiah. I think KT [Kayla Thornton] did an amazing job with rebounding. I thought she was grabbing everything that was there whether it was near or not. She was going after it. So yeah, just credit to our bigs. I thought they played bigger than their size today.”
GOLDEN STATE FORWARDS CECILIA ZANDALASINI AND KAYLA THORNTON:
ON TONIGHT’S WIN:
Zandalasini: “It’s a very good win for us because it wasn't very pretty, especially in the second half. But we got to do a better job keeping the lead that we work hard to get, so maintaining that league. They [the Los Angeles Sparks] play very hard. They play physical, and we were able to knock down very big shots with Tip [Tiffany Hayes] and Ja [Janelle Salaün]. That's what they do. We were able to secure the win, but on those couple of things, we have to be better.”
ON THE FOURTH QUARTER:
Thornton: “I think we kind of relaxed on our defense a little bit. I think our communication wasn't there, but like she said, it's going to be like that. That's playoff basketball. You're going to have your highs and lows, but we stayed together. We didn't let it get us down, and we just took to it. But shout out to LA [Los Angeles] for that.”
ON CECILIA ZANDALASINI:
Thornton: “Man, that's Ceci [Cecilia Zandalasini]. She's a Zandalasini, you know. That's what she does, man. It's beautiful. The way she shoots is just smooth. She is just smooth…The girl is just phenomenal. Italy’s best, y'all see it.”
Up Next: The Valkyries return home on Wednesday, August 12, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. PT on USA, KPIX+, KMAX, 95.7 The Game, the Audacy App, and ESPN 1320.
