SAN FRANCISCO ― Don't look now but a second-year WNBA franchise has the defending champions on the brink of elimination. The Golden State Valkyries are a win away from reaching their first WNBA Finals.
The Valkyries narrowly defeated the Las Vegas Aces, 83-81, in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals at Chase Center on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The Valkyries were led by Tiffany Hayes' team-high 21 points off the bench. Gabby Williams added 20 points.
"(Hayes) is incredible," Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. "I'm honestly just a huge fan. I think it's been really, really cool to see, what she's been able to do the entire season, her entire career. The energy that she shows up with every single day, to practice. When you have someone like her just being the example
it makes all of us want to play as hard as we possibly can. It increases our passion."
The Aces didn't go down without a fight. They were down by as many as 17 points and battled back using a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 74-74 with 2:09 left in regulation before the Valkyries closed it out.
"We battled back and gave ourselves a shot after a really abysmal first half, especially offensively," Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters after the loss.
Looking ahead to Game 3 on Friday in Las Vegas, here are the keys to the game:
Keys to Game 3
Here are a few keys for each team to pull away with a victory in Game 3:
Las Vegas Aces keys
- Four-time MVP A'ja Wilson needs to dominate the interior and get the Valkyries bigs in foul trouble early. Wilson has scored 24 point in each of the Aces' loses to the Golden State. But she has been held to 11 rebounds and one block in the series.
- Someone either than Wilson, Chelsea Gray or Jackie Young must step up. The Aces roster is depleted with injuries to Jewell Loyd, Stephanie Talbot and Dana Evans. The latter two played Wednesday and totaled 15 points between them.
- Take care of the basketball: The Aces had 12 turnovers that led to 16 Valkyries' points. Golden State also had eight fastbreak points.
Golden State Valkyries keys
- It starts with Gabby Williams: The Valkyries have a 6-3 record when she scores at least 20 points, including the postseason. She has 45 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in two games against the Aces in the semifinals so far. Williams needs to keep the offensive momentum going into Las Vegas.
- "Strength in Numbers": The Valkyries need to utilize depth, playing 10-deep to stay fresh and keep up their energy. The Valkyries had the top bench in the WNBA during the regular season, averaging 35.9 points a game. Tiffany Hayes was their top scorer with 21 off the bench on Wednesday vs. the Aces.
- Physicality on defense: The Aces will look to come out aggressive in the elimination game. The Valkyries must counter as the best defense in the league all season, allowing a league-low 75.5 points per game and holding opponents to 41.79% shooting from the field. The need to keep it going for one more game to make it the Finals.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What must change for the Aces in Game 3? Breaking down the matchup with Valkyries
