NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
June 8 – San Francisco, – The Golden State Valkyries dominated against the two-time champions, the Las Vegas Aces, on Saturday afternoon 95-68.
After dropping four straight games against top-tier opponents head coach Natalie Nakase said the team knew they were not putting their best foot forward in these matchups.
“We all talked about it, our energy wasn’t good enough. We are a defensive-minded team that creates our offense but vice versa we gotta take care of the ball on offense. We know what it takes to win… we weren’t prepared I’d say with Phoenix, we will be today. ”
The Valkyries have shown they can compete against the best teams, but struggle to close games out. That was not the case on Saturday afternoon. Golden State entered the second quarter up two points, and scored 33 points to the Aces 15. They maintained the tempo in the second quarter, with 15 fast-break points, and were selective about their three-point shooting.
The Valkyries also held A’ja Wilson to 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists thanks to the constant double-team the defense threw at her.
When asked about how the team adjusted from Thursday’s loss, Veronica Burton explained that there was no major change – “The game plan is the game plan. It just comes down to our energy level and effort level, and when we set the tone defensively, it’s a game changer for us.”
Three Valkyries players had a double-double, and Kayla Thornton led the team in points with 22.
Family No Matter What
Although the goal is to beat any opponent, this win had some history to it. Nakase shared how Becky Hammon supported her and truly pushed her to interview for a head coaching position. After the Aces won their second championship, Nakase shared how Hammon told her, “Nat, it’s time. I know it can be scary.”
Nakase reiterated how the Aces were her family and she “spent more time with them then her own family. “I’ll be forever grateful to them. It feels like a family reunion.”
“A lot of people wouldn’t push their assistants away, so I’m really grateful that she nudged me. I won’t ever forget when I told her in her office, I was nervous to tell her. But when I told her we embraced and we hugged for the longest time we cried. I knew I made the right decision.”
The Valkyries head to Los Angeles to face the Sparks on Monday night. The last time these two met the Valkyries won and held Kelsey Plum to 16 points.
