SAN FRANCISCO— You won't win many basketball games shooting 36% from the field. But the Sky found a way Wednesday night against the Valkyries, holding Golden State to 29.3% from the field and 26.9% from three.
That latter was a gift. The Valkyries, who had been shooting over 40% on 35 three-point attempts per game, went cold. But the Sky's defense deserves credit too. Their perimeter pressure improved from the Portland opener, helped by the return of veteran guard Natasha Cloud.
The offense went the opposite direction. The trio of Skylar Diggins, Kamilla Cardoso and Rickea Jackson, which had hummed a few nights earlier, struggled to score. Cardoso and Jackson finished the first half a combined 2 for 14. The Sky were 0 for 10 from deep and 4 for 10 from the free-throw line in the period.
Ugly stuff.
But the Sky held their own defensively, limiting the Valkyries to 28 first-half points.
"When things weren't working for us offensively, we stayed in it defensively, which is good," guard Jacy Sheldon said.
The second half didn't get much prettier for either team, but coach Tyler Marsh thought the Sky's effort improved. And the team got timely contributions when they needed them.
One key stretch came with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter, with the Sky up 60-58. The Valkyries forced Jackson into picking up her dribble and it looked like a broken play. But rookie Gabriela Jaquez made a timely back cut, and Jackson found her for an easy layup. Next trip down, Jackson hit a 3-pointer, her first of the game. Then on the defensive end, Sheldon came up with a steal.
And that's how you grind one out on the road.
"This is the type of team that we've wanted," Marsh said. "We shouldn't take it for granted that when we play defense like this, when we have the effort that we came out with in the second half, we can overcom
