The expansion Golden State Valkyries and Indiana Fever will match up on Wednesday afternoon in a battle of 9-9 teams that will take place at Indianapolis.
For Golden State, its .500 start has been a pleasant surprise. The first-year franchise finished June on a 7-2 run before dropping its last two games to fall back to a break-even mark.
On Monday, the Valkyries lost 90-81 on the road against the Atlanta Dream. Golden State had 21 turnovers and lost a 68-64 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“Atlanta did a great job ramping up their physicality and I think we ran our starters a little bit longer than I liked,” coach Natalie Nakase said.
Nakase also mentioned a 24-9 disparity on free-throw attempts, noting, “We just did not get the whistle.”
Golden State has been led by veteran Kayla Thornton. The 10-year pro had 15 points in the loss and has career highs this seasons of 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She was just chosen for her first WNBA All-Star Game.
Indiana’s .500 start is also somewhat surprising, as the Fever dealt with multiple absences to star Caitlin Clark due to groin/quad injuries. Clark is uncertain for Wednesday.
The Fever boast a trio of All-Stars, with Clark joined by high-scoring guard Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell averages 19.3 points and landed her third consecutive All-Star nod. Third-year post Aliyah Boston (16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game) also landed her third straight selection.
Indiana comes off a brutal 89-87 loss at home to the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, when the Fever missed their final five shot attempts, including Boston’s jumper just ahead of the buzzer.
“I thought (Boston) had a really good look at the end,” coach Stephanie White said. “Sometimes, it just doesn’t fall your way. So we’re looking more about execution.”
This is the second meeting of these teams this year, with Golden State winning 88-77 on June 19 in San Francisco.
–Field Level Media
