ARLINGTON, TX — After taking down the Dallas Wings in Game 1, the Golden State Valkyries have a chance to close the first round series tonight at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas tonight.
A win would send Golden State to the second round of the playoffs for the first time. A loss would mean they must play a third game at Chase Center on Sunday. The winner of the series will match up with the winner of tomorrow’s Game 3 between the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever.
The Valkyries handled Dallas 104-80 behind a strong defensive showing on Sunday night and the team’s best quarter of the season, outscoring the Wings 37-11 in the second frame. Going into Game 2, though, Natalie Nakase’s squad thinks there is room for improvement.
The Valkyries are in Texas preparing for the game and Mission Local is on the ground to keep you updated. Stay tuned throughout the day for more.
10:55 a.m. — College Park Center: Vibes were high at the Valkyries’ Wednesday’s pregame shootaround at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. But don’t let the smiles fool you, the team was locked in.
After shutting down the best transition offense in the league in Game 1, the Valkyries sat down to watch the footage.
“Coach was not super happy with it,” said center Kiah Stokes. The film showed that they can still do a better job against the Wings’ fast break scoring, she explained. “That’s going to be one of our focuses going into the game tonight. We did some great things, but we also can’t rely on what we did last game. It’s a completely new game, 40 minutes. We’re in Dallas. We’re not in the Bay Area, so it’s just a different level of lock-in.”
Kaila Charles, who has been Golden State’s top defender off the bench, agreed and said closing in on what the Valkyries expect to be a more aggressive Dallas offense will be essential.
“There are things we could fix,” Charles said from the tunnel to the College Park Center gym on Wednesday morning. “They weren’t making a lot of the shots that they normally do, so today we have to pay more attention to detail on transition.”
The Valkyries take on the wings at 6 p.m. Pacific. Stay tuned for more updates.
