The Guru’s WNBA and UPSHOT Reports: Golden State Blasts New York While Minnesota Does Likewise to Toronto and L.A. Handles Phoenix; Jacksonville Gets First UPSHOT Win Toopping Charlotte

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

NEW YORK – Having been idle eight days since a narrow home loss to Chicago, the second-year Golden State (3-1) squad had much time to dwell and fix things heading into Thursday night’s visit here to meet the high-scoring Liberty (3-2), that had seven off days themselves after a road trip to the West.

Having set a bunch of expansion records last season, including making the playoffs their first year, the Valkyries used a balanced attack highlighted by free-agent acquistion Gabby Wilson, the former UConn star who was on the one-point French national Olympic runners-up to the USA at the Paris Games in 2024, scoring 16 points in a 87-70 win at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before a disappointed crowd of 15,862.

The near sellout showing, on a night free-agent prize Satou Sabally, who had been rehabbing, made her New York debut on a night at the same time the NBA Knicks went to 2-0 on Cleveland in the Eastern Finals at Madison Square Garden, and up in the Bronx the baseball Yankees played before 40,249.

The other two contests on Thursday’s WNBA card were also dominating productions, Minnesota (3-2) at home in the Target Center before 8,910 in Minneapolis handing expansion Toronto (3-3) its worst loss, a 100-72 drubbing, while out in the Arizona desert Los Angeles (2-3) won 97-88 at Phoenix (2-4) before 10,953 in the Mortgage Matchup Center.

Meanwhile the four-team UPSHOT League headed into its second weekend of action with the Jacksonville Waves (1-1), coached by Philadelphian Jessica Bogia, getting their first win, a 103-95 revenge road triumph over the Charlotte Crown (1-1) at Bojangles Coliseum.

 Valkyries Thump Liberty

New York came to a dead stop offensively after averaging a WNBA tops 100 points in its opening four games and was still shorthand as All-Star Sabrina Ionescu remained injured, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was out for what was described as personal reasons, and Leonie Fiebich and Raquel Carrera yet to arrive as  they finish European ball in Spain.

Sabally, in her return, had five points in 16 ½ restricted minutes.

The visiting Valkyries jumped to an 18-9 advantage, stayed in front ahead eight at the half and then blew the game wide open in the third.

Former UConn great Breanna Stewart had 18 points and Jones 16 for the home team, who got 12 points off the bench from Rebekah Gardner off the bench.

Golden State’s Kaila Charles and Veronica Burton each scored 13 points, Kayla Thornton had 11, and reserve Janelle Salaun scored 11.

Williams was 4-of-6 shooting 3-pointers.

“We talked about adding extra pressure tonight, because they have so many point guards to bring up the ball, so credit to (assistant coach Landon xx) and our players for locking into the details and for bringing that type of heat,” said Golden State Natalie Nakase, voted coach of the year last season.

“With so many days off, we were like caged animals ready to go.”

From New York’s perspective, “Not much went right,” Stewart said. “I feel like we gave up a lot of threes and then giving up 25 points in the first quarter.”

 First-year coach Chris DeMarco, a former longtime assistant with the NBA Golden State Warriors, said, “It’s a possession game and you can’t get shots if you turn the ball over 15 times.”

Lynx Rout Tempo

Off the bench, Maya Caldwell keyed a balanced attack for Minnesota with 16 points stopping the expansion Toronto’s two-game win streak. Courtney Williams added 15 points, rookie Oliva Miles, the number two overall choice last month out of TCU after starring as an undergrad at Notre Dame, had 14 points, Natasha Howard and Kayla McBride each scored 12 points.

Canadian and former UConn standout Kia Nurse had 23 points as a reserve for Toronto, rookie Kiki Rice out NCAA champion UCLA had 11.

The Lynx slowed down Brittney Sykes and Marina Marbrey, who each reached 30 in the Tempo win last time out, a first in the 30-year history of the WNBA for a combo exploding on a team’s first year of existence, were held to nine points.

“We got two really good days of practice where we really hammered our staples and our expectations and we were on our second team hard,” said Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, the former La Salle star out of South Jersey who is one of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees in Knoxville next month.

“We need them to perform. The first team was executing really well, both sides of the ball.”

Noted Toronto’s Nurse of the team’s recent games, “It was a good opportunity for us to grow as a team both on and off the court, a lot of really good touch points, on a night like tonight when things weren’t going great, going into the locker room at the half, being honest with one another.

Sandy Brondello, hired after winning New York’s first title in 2024 and with the Liberty last season, observed, “We didn’t execute our scout very well, we didn’t bring the energy.”

Sparks Win Second at Expense of the Mercury

Dearica Hamby had 27 points and 15 board for Los Angeles, who erupted for a 35-19 second quarter and 60-43 at the half.

Especially effective was the long ball, the Sparks shooting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

This was L.A.’s first road game and joining Hamby, Kelsey Plum scored 16 with seven assists, while Nneka Ogwumike, who came back as a free agent and had starred at Stanford, scored 12, as did reserves Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell, while Ariel Atkins scored 11.

Phoenix, shorthanded at the moment, got 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Philly’s Kahleah Copper, the All-Star out of Rutgers, scored 22, rookie Jovanna Nogic had 15 points and Natasha Mack scored 10 points.

L.A. just missed one 3-pointer short of the franchise record after connecting 14-for-24.

Ogwumike eclipsed Tamika Catchings to fifth on the WNBA career scoring list.

“Dearica was amazing tonight,” said Sparks second-year coach Lynne Roberts. “Her footwork, her finish, but just her activity tonight.”

Off a poor home stand, Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said, “I like where we can get to, we’re just not there yet. But we’re going to find a group that competes. I really like this group.”

Elsewhere, Indiana received a warning from the WNBA for not listing Caitlin Clark on the injury list ahead of her missing her first game of the season after waking with a sore back.

The Fever said Clark, who will be the Indianapolis 500 Grand Marshal Sunday at the Motor Speedway, is expected to play Friday.

Looking Ahead

On Friday, the triple header on ION has Atlanta hosting Dallas at 7:30 p.m., the same time Indiana hosts Golden State before Seattle hosts Connecticut, the latter also on League Pass.

On Saturday, which was dark last week, CBS and Paramount+ kick in with Chicago hosting Minnesota at 1 p.m., and defending champion Las Vegas hosting L.A. 8 p.m. while at 6 p.m., Toronto hosts Portland, the two newest teams meeting the first time.

After a break next season, the expansion continues with Cleveland returning in 2028, Detroit doing likewise in 2029, and Philadelphia coming on board in 2030.

UPSHOT Week Two

The new four-team developmental-style pro league, whose commissioner Donna Orender was the second WNBA president, that had a successful debut last weekend and whose games can be seen free on its YouTube channel, saw Jacksonville get to the win column after Charlotte ruined the Waves’ opener last weekend.

The Floridians next are spending Memorial Day weekend hosting the Greensboro Groove (2-0) at 4 p.m. Saturday and visiting the Savannah Steel (0-2) at 3 p.m. Sunday.

All four rosters were posted recently at this site.

On Friday, Greensboro, that swept Savannah at home last weekend, visits the Georgians at 7 p.m., and on Monday the Groove ventures over to nearby Charlotte at 7 p.m. in North Carolina.

Next season the league expands to Baltimore and Nashville.