10 Sep Valkyries Beat Wings, Become First Expansion Team to Make WNBA Playoffs

Flames fly as lineups for the Golden State Valkyries are announced before the game at Chase Center.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to clinch a playoff berth in their inaugural season, beating the Dallas Wings 84-80 on Sept. 4 in front of a sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center.

Golden State came in riding a four-game win streak. Dallas, meanwhile, had lost nine straight and sat at the bottom of the league at 9-33.

Starting the game with 10 unanswered points, the Wings did not look like a team with the fewest road wins (4) but instead one ready to play spoiler. The Valkyries, though, quickly regained form and tied the score at 19 before taking a two-point lead into the second quarter.

Going on a run of their own to end the second frame, outscoring Golden State 11-2, Dallas led at halftime, 41-32. Midway through the third, the Wings built the game’s biggest lead at 13, but Golden State again cut the deficit, this time to four points heading into the final frame.

The Valkyries took the lead back with about eight minutes left, as rookie forward Janelle Salaun sank a timely three-pointer. Making three of her four shots from beyond the arc, Salaun finished with a team-high 19 points and game-high 37 minutes played.

The teams remained within one possession of each other on the scoreboard for more than half of the fourth quarter until about 20 seconds left, when Golden State guard Veronica Burton made two free throws to give her team a lead of five. Burton, who tops her team in per game averages of points (11.9), assists (5.9) and blocks (0.6), chipped in with 15 points.

Sinking more clutch free throws to seal the game, the Valkyries had their second consecutive 26-point quarter — both of which gave fans ample opportunity to wave the free rally towels left on every seat before the game.

Celebrating their postseason birth following the win, Golden State players posed for pictures with their new playoff T-shirts in front of a crowd that leads the WNBA in attendance.

Though many in attendance on Thursday were there supporting Dallas rookie sensation Paige Bueckers, with waves of her jerseys littered throughout the stands — many from her recent college days at the University of Connecticut where she won a national championship in April.

Bueckers — who leads her team in per game averages of points (19.1), assists (5.3), steals (1.6) and minutes played — had a game-high 27 points, six assists and four steals. Her totals are good for fifth in league scoring; assists, eighth; steals, second.

Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen logged the game’s only double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Dallas forward Haley Jones added 18 points and a game-high seven assists.

The Valkyries held off Bueckers’ third-highest scoring output of the season by using a balanced attack approach that they have deployed all season. Five Golden State players scored in double figures, though not the same five that average over 10 points per game on the year.

The Valkyries have been playing without forward Kayla Thornton, who paced the team in scoring before suffering a season-ending injury halfway through the current campaign. With a very young team due to being an expansion franchise, Golden State has also been without a veteran presence in 35-year-old injured guard Tiffany Hayes.

Prior to tipoff, Hayes, along with Bueckers and rookie Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen, took photos at center court to honor the trio’s connection through playing for coach Geno Auriemma at UConn.

After falling to the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday for their 10th straight loss, Dallas plays their final game Thursday against the Phoenix Mercury.

Breaking their winning streak with a loss against the Minnesota Lynx (who lead the WNBA by a five-game margin) at home on Saturday, Golden State plays on the road at Seattle and Minnesota before beginning their postseason push. Before the season began, some analysts gave the Valkyries less than 5% of a chance to make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Chase Center schedule makers apparently had just as little faith in the Valkyries. Golden State will be playing their first couple of “home” postseason matchups 43 miles away at the SAP Center — home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks — due to tickets already being sold for events happening at Chase Center on days the Valkyries need to play.

At a launch for her clothing line in San Francisco on Sunday, Hayes told reporters that even though fans can’t see the games at the arena dubbed “Ballhalla” by Valkyries fans they can bring Ballhalla to San Jose.