Valkyries Keep Winning Streak Going, Set Franchise Record with Seven

By: Ashmere Prasad

Midway through the season, the Valkyries have earned the third-place spot in the WNBA standings and won their seventh straight game, without their All-Star Gabby Williams. Williams was out due to a back contusion she endured on July 8th against the Tempo.

Although Williams was not on the floor, her voice and feedback were a prominent piece of the team’s victory.

“Gabby was one of the loudest people on the bench,” Natalie Nakase said. She was constantly talking to her teammates, encouraging them, sharing what she saw. That is what we need every game from Gabby: to be our leader, and she did that.”

The Sun kept up with Golden State’s tempo in the third quarter and cut the lead to five points with over two minutes remaining. The Valkyries played connected basketball and went on a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 10 points entering the fourth.

Second Quarter Comebacks

In their last four matchups, Golden State has started from behind – not their favorite way to play a complete game. But they made the immediate adjustments and outscored their opponents in the second quarter. Once the Valkyries build a lead, it is hard to stop their offensive flow.

Tonight, the Sun led by two after the first ten, but the Valkyries held the Sun to six points in the second quarter, to their 13.

“I didn’t think we came out with enough attention to detail in terms of the game plan. And then we kind of found our groove a little bit into the second quarter. So, really good holding them to six because we were very connected. We were communicating. Now, we just have to find consistency in all four quarters, and for some reason, our starts, the last two, weren’t our best. So we’re definitely going to look back at the film and see where we can get better.”

Nakase took accountability for the team’s slow start and admitted she needs to adjust her preparation for the team to help them be more successful.

Much-Needed Rest

The Valkyries won their fourth game in seven days and are 6-0 on their current road trip. Nakase said postgame, the team needs some REST. Constant travel, bus rides to arenas, and their current schedule were exhausting, but the team continued to empty the tank. The team’s main motto is to put together a complete 40 minutes.

In the last six games, the Valkyries have tallied: 30 blocks to their opponents’ 13, 77.3 PPG, to 69.2, and are 6-0 heading into a five-day break before they head back to Indiana on July 15th.