The Aces didn’t just beat the Valkyries on Sunday afternoon.
They dismantled them.
Las Vegas raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and never let the Valkyries breathe as Golden State fell 92-73. It was the worst loss of the season for the Valkyries, who trailed by as much as 28 in the second half.
Golden State dropped its second straight game and have now lost its sixth straight to the Aces with Sunday’s defeat.
The Valkyries were ice cold from the 3-point line, hitting a season-low 5-of-30 of their shots from deep. They came into the game leading the league in 3-pointers made (184) and 3-point percentage (36.4%).
They couldn’t stop the Aces’ star-studded offense as the home team shot 62% from the field and 46% from the 3-point line.
Cecilia Zandalasini had another solid game, scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Kaitlyn Chen added 11 points and Gabby Williams and Laeticia Amihere each had 10.
No other player had more than seven points.
NorCal native Chelsea Gray had 15 points and nine assists. A’ja Wilson had 19 points and nine rebounds while Jackie Young led the Aces in scoring with 21 points.
The Valkyries stayed with the defending champions up until the midway point of the second quarter.
After a bucket from Kiah Stokes cut the Aces’ lead to one at the 6:35 mark, Las Vegas went on to go on a 21-2 run to close the half.
A barrage of buckets from Gray and Young cut up the Valkyries’ defense as Golden State went into the halftime break down 50-30. The Valkyries made just one of their 15 3-point attempts in the first half and were outscored 27-13 in the second quarter.
Williams opened the third quarter with an impressive steal-and-score – a play that looked like it set the tone for the Valkyries to open the second half.
But the final 20 minutes were much more of the same.
The Aces won the third quarter by eight points and cruised to an easy win as Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase emptied her bench.
Burton struggles
For the second straight game, starting point guard Veronica Burton struggled to get going.
The reigning most improved player of the year scored two points in 16 minutes on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. She missed all three of her 3-point shot attempts.
Against the Lynx on Friday, Burton had just eight points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Jocytė still progressing
The Valkyries are clearly taking their time with rookie Justė Jocytė.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said the team is transitioning Jocytė to becoming a point guard – a role she hasn’t played before.
Jocytė got in garbage time minutes in the fourth quarter when the game became out of reach for the Valkyries.
Nakase said the 20-year-old Lithuanian has been adjusting to the role change well and complimented her for learning on the fly.
“I need her to be prepared for the physicality and the pace of the W,” Nakase said before Sunday’s game. “It’s physical and also I want her to be in the best shape so I don’t set her up for an injury as well. … So it’s understanding that not everyone has the same timeline, and I love that Justė has been very patient. But she’s learning so much in terms of the point guard position.”