Valkyries can’t hang with Napheesa Collier’s Minnesota Lynx as Golden State’s offense struggles in second half

The Golden State Valkyries - loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday had a familiar feel The Valkyries stayed competitive for as long as they could but didn t have the star power to make it a contest late against the unbeaten Lynx Minnesota - overwhelmed the Valkyries with its depth and elite shot making as Golden State dropped its third straight encounter in front of a sellout crowd of at Chase Center Lynx star Napheesa Collier returned from a right knee injury that kept her out for a contest and scored points and grabbed rebounds Golden State s Kate Martin who hadn t played much this season came off the bench to points a career-high points and Veronica Burton totaled Minnesota jumped out to an early eight-point lead in the second quarter but the advantage was short lived thanks to Martin Martin scored consecutive points for the Valkyries on an array of cutting layups deep s and free throws On one possession during her scoring streak Martin made an and- a from the right wing and hit three more free throws after the officiating crew deemed a flagrant foul was committed on the play In the second quarter alone Martin eclipsed her single-game career-high in points which stood at coming into Sunday night Martin s hot shooting along with a solid band defensive performance helped the Valkyries build a - lead at halftime Golden State moved the ball well in the first two periods as they totaled assists and held the Lynx to none But after a solid offensive showing in the first half the Valkyries went cold in the third quarter Golden State went for in the period and were outscored - The Lynx used an - run in the middle of the quarter to take a nine-point lead at the mark Minnesota kept its foot on the pedal after taking an eight-point lead going into the final period of play The Lynx outscored the Valkyries - through the first five minutes of the quarter to build an insurmountable lead Golden State cut the deficit to but it was too late as Minnesota outpaced the Valkyries in the final minutes Minnesota led by as much as in the period as Golden State s defense crumbled against Collier and Minnesota s shooters Related Articles What worked and what didn t from Valkyries first road trip Valkyries valiant effort falls short as New York Liberty pull away late Rest over rhythm Five takeaways from the Valkyries loss to the Liberty Valkyries overwhelmed by Sabrina Ionescu s Liberty in New York City Valkyries seeking third straight win when they face New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu on road Sunday s contest marked the first of six Commissioner s Cup games the Valkyries will play throughout the rest of the month The Commissioner s Cup is an in-season competition in which the top teams in each conference with the best cup records play each other in a championship event with a prize on the line Cecilia Zandalasini Kayla Thornton and Stephanie Talbot each have a Commissioner s Cup championship on their resume Nakase won a cup title with Las Vegas in Golden State will hit the road again when they play the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday before coming back home to play the Las Vegas Aces in a nationally televised battle on Saturday