Valkyries blown out by WNBA-worst Sun in opener of five-game road trek

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Golden State Valkyries looked like a team near the end — not the start — of a grueling trip Sunday. That bodes poorly for a team just beginning its longest stretch away from home in a potential make-or-break portion of the WNBA season.
In a 95-64 blowout loss to league-worst Connecticut and without All-Star Kayla Thornton for the second game since her season-ending knee injury, the Valkyries scored their second-fewest points in a game in their worst loss of their inagural season.
Golden State is 3-9 on the road — and 8-4 at Chase Center — and has won just once outside of California.
The Sun — who won for only the fourth time in 24 games — posted a season high in scoring.
In the throes of a tight playoff race and playing the first of five straight road games, the Valkyries' road struggles are a problem.
The Valkyries shot 33.9% against the Sun and committed a season-high 24 turnovers, which Connecticut turned into 34 points.
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The Valkyries (11-13) arrived in Uncasville, Conn., on Saturday at 9 a.m., departing the Bay Area shortly after their 86-76 win over Dallas on Friday night. They were off Saturday, something they've done before most road games this season, but even then had a roughly 37-hour turnaround between the end of a West Coast game and the start of Sunday's, more than 3,000 miles away.
'I really felt a little bit for our players to not be able to sleep in their own beds, especially with bigs out,' said Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase before Sunday's game, 'But I get it, we had to be here because of the game, so just trying to manage that type of mental fatigue.'
The eight-day trek would be challenging for any team and extends a run of six games in 10 days in six different cities and three time zones.
'Sometimes I wish (the schedule was more spread out),' said forward Cecilia Zandalasini before Sunday's blowout. 'Especially traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast. There is long travel, and that's the way it goes with a condensed schedule.'
This is the WNBA's first 44-game season, and teams have complained that the condensed schedule is unsafe with injuries up from a year ago.
'Some of it doesn't make sense,' center Temi Fagbenle said of the schedule last week. 'You're playing so much and traveling so much.'
Nakase cited the average 2.7 days between games this season after there was a 3.2-day gap during last the 2024 40-game slate. With two more teams entering the WNBA next season and potentially more games after the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations this offseason, it could become a priority for the players to resolve.
'These things have to be brought up for the safety of our players,' Nakase said. 'Unfortunately, I was watching New York play, and (Breanna Stewart) went down, we don't want to lose a player like that, Angel Reese is out right now. We got to figure out what is best for the players.'
Golden State trailed 23-15 at the end of one quarter on Sunday after allowing 50.0% shooting from Connecticut. The Sun went on a 21-7 run entering the second frame. They then scored 11 in a row to open that quarter and led 49-33 at the half, the second-most points the Valkyries have allowed in a half this season.
Valkyries center Iliana Rupert tied her career-high with 13 points in her second game with Golden State while shooting 5-for-7 from the field.
Tina Charles led the Sun with 24 points in only 19 minutes on 8-for-11 shooting. Bria Hartley and Marina Mabrey each chipped in with 15.