NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
Brooklyn, NY – The Valkyries had an unusual eight-day break between games, leaving them plenty of time to prepare for the New York Liberty, one of the most difficult opponents. Their preparation and defensive adjustments paid off, and the Valkyries won the first of three, 87-70 on Thursday night.
Natalie Nakase said they reviewed the tape from their loss to the Chicago Sky – many times – and took note of the mistakes. The players even called each other out on adjustments to make for future matchups.
“I give all the credit to Landon [Tatum]. That’s his game plan. My assistants are brilliant. I’m going to give them a ton of credit, and then the players for locking into the details that we wanted to take away. We talked about adding extra pressure tonight, just because they have so many different point guards who bring up the ball. Again, credit to Landon, and then our players bringing that type of heat with that amount of days off.”
One of the newest additions to the violet squad, Gabby Williams, shone in her defensive containment of seven-time All-Star Breanna Stewart. Williams was also aggressive on offense and led the team with 16 points.
The Valkyries forced seven turnovers in the first quarter, 15 total which they converted into 17 points. Those additional possessions made a major difference for Golden State to maintain their lead. The defense locked up the Liberty in the third quarter and held the offense to 12 points and on 5-for-20 shooting.
Kayla Thornton played in the 300th game of her regular-season career, making her the eighth undrafted player to reach 300+ since 2000. Thornton played a hefty 28 minutes for someone who had a season-ending knee injury less than a year ago.
The Valkyries have a quick turnaround and face the Indiana Fever at 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Caitlin Clark missed the Fever’s last game due to back soreness and is probable to play on Friday.
