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True to its sellout tradition, the Chase Center, dubbed “Ballhalla” by the Valkyries, was in its usual form Thursday night for the team’s sixth home game of its inaugural season.
Only this time, the violet-saturated crowd was dotted with at least a few hundred No. 22 Indiana Fever jerseys.
Thursday night was WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark’s first time playing in San Francisco. Her review? Well, before the game, Clark had high praise for the arena and its three-point-shooting legacy, what she’d seen of the fanbase, and the Bay Area’s beauty. She said she was surprised by the wind, though. Later, she was outright stunned by the Valkyries’ late-second-half, crowd-fueled dominance in an 88-77 Golden State win.
The result may have been unexpected for those who abide by the lowly expectations fashioned to expansion franchises — or to teams without a “star” player. Probably to those who worship Clark’s transformative talent, too. But aside from the Valkyries’ slow start, which included more than six minutes without a field goal in the middle of the opening frame, it’s clear how they pulled it off: an all-encompassing defensive effort that neutralized Clark.
“We never gave up from top to bottom of our team,” said Western Conference Player of the Week Kayla Thornton, who finished with a team-high 16 points. “We look to literally everybody on this team to contribute, and that’s really what we did today.”
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That’s exactly what coach Natalie Nakase expected from her team. She wanted her nine-woman rotation to show its depth in overcoming the temporary loss of key players to EuroBasket. She wanted the maximum effort in rebounding that she didn’t see in Tuesday’s disappointing loss on the road to a Dallas team that currently holds the league’s worst record. And with the most emphasis, she wanted her defense to hush Clark’s impact.
“We want to be the best defensive team. We hang our hats on the defensive end,” Nakase said. “Anything in terms of disruption, physicality and finishing a rebound, and that’s what you saw tonight — everyone connected, everyone contributing, and just exhausting their minutes.”
Clark didn’t register a field goal until more than halfway through the second quarter. She faced shooting struggles for the game’s entirety — her 0-for-7 performance from beyond-the-arc marked only the second game in her WNBA career that she went without a triple. Clark’s 11 points tied her season-low.
But that didn’t mean the Valkyries had quite mastered their coverage of the star in the first half; Clark’s court vision and passing prowess were on display as she connected with Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard on the low block, essentially on repeat, to dish out easy buckets. Boston’s 15 points in the game’s opening 20 minutes were the primary problem slipping through the cracks for the Valkyries’ front court in the first half as the home team brought a 44-38 deficit into the locker room.
Nakase’s unit made a clear adjustment to essentially mute Boston’s threat in the second half, holding the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft to just two points in the latter half.
That’s where the Valkyries came to life, propelling their defensive soundness into offensive momentum — all behind the encouragement of their roaring Ballhalla crowd. They faced their steepest disadvantage, a 13-deficit with 4:43 to play in the third, before launching a momentum-shifting 24-5 scoring run orchestrated by Kate Martin and Laeticia Amihere, who was cut before the season but has returned as a EuroBasket fill-in.
“There was a stretch of time where we needed our energy, and we felt them right along with us in sixth man so we just appreciate everybody that that comes out and gives us the energy that we need to pick it up,” Amihere said.
Tiffany Hayes, the Valkyries’ sole player with a WNBA All-Star appearance, came up clutch in the final period, not only locking up Clark in her defensive matchup but punching in a driving layup at the eight-minute mark to give her team its first lead since the early first quarter. From there, the Valkyries fought off the Fever’s threats and never trailed again.
“They made us pay by just being stronger and tougher. Beating us to 50-50 balls, deflections, getting into the passing lanes,” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said of her team’s shortcomings down the stretch. “I think we allowed it. And we kind of tucked our tail a little bit tonight. That’s our downfall right now. We have to learn to see runs for what they are, that’s one thing.”
From Veronica Burton and Thornton’s consecutive three-balls,to center Monique Billing’s beaming smile and arms shot in the air in celebration after converting her missed three-point attempt into a second-chance bucket, the final minutes turned into a celebration for the hosts.
Forty-five bench points, 17 forced turnovers including 10 steals, and big minutes from recent signees Amihere and Chloe Bibby defined the contest on paper for the Valkyries. But Thursday’s game ultimately came down to unity and intangibles. As it turns out, it doesn’t take a superstar to beat a superstar.