NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
San Francisco – With 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, Justė Jocytė entered the floor, and fans, of course, gave her a warm welcome. She immediately scored on the inbound play and scored her first points as a Valkyrie. Finally, the fans had a chance to see the fifth overall pick in action. The Valkyries faced one of the worst teams in the league and came out victorious in their 97-70 win. Every eligible player had minutes on the floor and scored tonight, 12 players, tying the league record.
Natalie Nakase shared her thoughts on Jocytė’s first minutes. “Her confidence, she’s been playing a lot of stay-ready games. The players, too, as soon as I subbed her, they were so hyped and so excited, so you see that connection, that support and love. And then she scored in five seconds.”
Golden State ended the first half with a 17-point lead, forced seven turnovers, and held the Sun to 9-of-31 FG (29%). In the third quarter, they put their foot on the gas and pushed the lead to as many as 29 points.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points in 18 minutes, and Kayla Thornton led the team with eight rebounds.
Joycte hit a three with 1:44 remaining, followed by a dime to Ashten Prechetel under the basket for an easy layup. The fans loved the flashes of her during her short minutes in the game.
The Valkyries face the Fever and Aces this week, two of the top teams in the league. The Fever and Valkyries faced off on May 22, and things were chippy the entire game. Caitlin Clark had a technical and a flagrant foul for setting a hard screen and sending Veronica Burton to the ground.
Tiffany Hayes and Clark exchanged words throughout the game, and although Hayes locked up Clark at times, she also allowed her the space to hit some threes and talk more smack. It was an aggressive matchup we’ll get to see again in Ballhalla, but this time, with a fully healthy Valkyries team on Thursday night.
