Caitlin Clark 101
Valks write the book in 88-77 point win over Fever
How do you hold the face of the WNBA, who entered professional ball as first draft pick after setting the NCAA women's career and single-season record in points, who has the record for the most NCAA DI points scored, who earned Rookie-of-the-Year and made the All-WNBA First Team after setting the league record in assists — arguably the most famous women’s basketball player — to only 11 points and three made shots from the field?
Ask the Golden State Valkyries.
The Valkyries entered Thursday’s game against the Indiana Fever undermanned and defeated, having just fallen to the inept Dallas Wings after being unable to guard Paige Bueckers, and missing four players to Eurobasket. All eyes were on how they would manage Caitlin Clark in her first ever trip to San Francisco. The Valkyries trailed for much of the night, going down 13 points in the third, but they outscored Indiana by 15 in the fourth for the 88-77 win. And, crucially, they never let Clark get hot.
Golden State stuck to a player-on-player defense for most of the game. They’ve had varying success with the technique in past games, but tonight saw the strategy employed in a new way. Defensive specialist Veronica Burton has been the general go-to for the Valks to guard stars thus far, and she did guard Clark Thursday night, but she was part of a rotating series of matchups.
Nearly each possession saw Clark facing a new defender. She could never get comfortable or adapt to how she was being guarded: one moment Stephanie Talbot’s height was preventing a three, the next Burton was in her face to prevent a two point jumper. Kayla Thornton kept her moving, rookie Chloe Bibby never left her open for a pass. She’d get her hands on the ball and be swarmed.
Clark went 0-for-7 from deep, shot a season-low 21.4 percent from the field, and turned the ball over six times.
The Valks defense on Clark had another virtue: the Fever kept passing Clark the ball, despite the poor shooting night. She was just free enough to be offered shots, but not free enough to make them. Clark led the night in shot attempts, and the Valkyries capitalized as they refound their defensive footing after rebounding abysmally against Dallas.
Golden State’s defense on Clark worked from the beginning, but controlling another Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston, took adaptation. Boston entered halftime with a double-double, but was held to two points in the second half. And, five minutes into the third, she reached five personal fouls, forcing her to be pulled out for much of the rest of the game, and to tread lightly when she was playing.
With Boston out and Clark shut down, the Valkyries took the helm in the fourth quarter. They turned up their offensive physicality and drew 10 points off seven fouls. They took faster, cleaner shots. And they countered a star-oriented team with a win by committee.
Eight of the nine who clocked in for the Valkyries put points on the board, each eight points or higher. The top scorer for the team was Thornton, with 16. The standard deviation between the octet was 2.8 points — meaning every player contributed similarly to the win.
Golden State’s depth was essential not only in scoring, not only in guarding Clark, but in every element of play. The bench outscored the starters, with 45 points, and more than doubled the Fever bench’s 17.
Chloe Bibby made waves with 12 points in her first-ever WNBA game. Tiffany Hayes returned in nearly full-force with 14 points and five assists. Talbot was the lone player with no points on the board, but her three steals and defensive magnitude were still meaningful. But it’s impossible to cherry pick highlights from the lineup — every player shone.
Thursday night was the pinnacle of the Valkyries’ style: a team of sixth-players, even without many of their own starters, outplaying stars. This was the first of a five-game homestand, and next up is the Connecticut Sun.
anyaarmentrout@gmail.com
Beautiful writing, Anya! Makes me want to watch the game….