It was a totally different ball game for the 2 ball clubs that played today, July 8, in the WNBA. The Golden State Valkyries suffered 2-straight losses while the Phoenix Mercury destroyed the Dallas Wings, winning the game by 30 points.
Atlanta Dream Outlasts Golden State Valkyries in Thrilling WNBA Finish
Despite the Golden State Valkyries leading as much as 12 points in the early parts of the 2nd quarter, it wasn’t enough as the Atlanta Dream rolled their way back into the game.
It was a back-and-forth 2nd half with Atlanta only getting a 10-point lead in the last few minutes of the 4th quarter. Veronica Burton of the Valkyries even tried to still make it a ball game as she cut the lead to 6 points under a minute left in the game, but it wasn’t enough for a comeback.
Final Score: 90-81
Monique Billings had the most points for the Valkyries as she had 19 points, 6 boards, a rebound, and an assist. Behind her is the consistent scorer of Golden State, Kayla Thornton, with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal; however, she shot 5-of-14 from the field. Kate Martin did have double digits off the bench with 11 points, a rebound, an assist, and a steal, but it wasn’t enough to pick up a win.
Valkyries had an abysmal 21 turnovers. While Atlanta won the assist category (24-19), steals (11-5), blocks (4-0), and went to the free throw line more (21-of-24 compared to 9-of-9).
Allisha Gray scored a team high 24 points for the Dreams along with a rebound, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Playing 31 minutes off the bench was Naz Hillmon as she tallied 16 points, 4-of-7 from the 3-point area, 6 boards, an assist, a steal, and a block. Brianna Jones also had a double-digit scoring output with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
The Golden State Valkyries are now 9-9, sitting at the number 4 seed in the West. They are set to face the Indiana Fever on Thursday, July 10.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream are 12-7 and hold the number 2 seed in the East. They will also play Indiana, but on Saturday, July 12.
Sami Whitcomb Drops 27 in First Half as Phoenix Mercury Avenge Loss to Dallas Wings
Prior to this game, the Dallas Wings won against the Phoenix Mercury last July 4, 98-89, but this time, Sami Whitcomb of Phoenix won’t let that happen again as she scored 27 points all in the 1st half of action.
Whitcomb not only showcased her hot shooting, but she also reached a milestone as she recorded her career 2,000 points early in the 1st quarter in this game. It was a total collective effort for Phoenix, as despite only having 8 players to play the game, 4 of them scored double digits.
Final Score: 102-72
Whitcomb ended with 36 points, 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, 6 rebounds, an assist, and 2 steals. Kiana Williams, playing off the bench, had 17 points, a near-perfect shooting from the field going 7-of-8 as she missed one 3-pointer (3-of-4), she also had 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Alyssa Thomas went out and got a triple-double performance, tallying 15 points, 10 boards, and 15 dimes.
The number #1 overall pick of this year’s draft, Paige Bueckers of Dallas, was limited to only 11 points and shot horribly, going 3-of-11 from the field to go along with 3 turnovers. She did have 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block, though.
Other players who “decently” performed for Dallas were: JJ Quinerly with 18 points (7-of-17 FG shooting), a rebound, 5 assists, and 2 steals, and Aziaha James with 15 points (7-of-18 FG shooting), 4 turnovers, 4 boards, 3 dimes, and a steal.
The Dallas Wings are set to play the Chicago Sky on July 10, as they are now 6-14 and are in the last spot in the West.
The Phoenix Mercury are set to play the Minnesota Lynx also on July 10, and they are now 13-6. Their game against Minnesota will be a clash of titans in the West as the #1 and #2 teams will play one another.
