Valkyries' bid for 10th straight win fails as Mystics close with flourish

The WNBA's longest active win streak came to a screeching halt on Monday night.

The Golden State Valkyries lost to the Washington Mystics 90-82 in the second leg of a two-game set at Chase Center to snap their nine-game streak. 

The Valkyries collapsed in the game's final four minutes, conceding 12 consecutive points in an uncharacteristic meltdown.

What preceded the nightmare ending made the final result even more painful. Golden State had just reeled off a 10-0 run of its own and held a nine-point lead with 4:44 remaining. 

"That's a tough one," Valkyries guard Veronica Burton said. "I think there's a lot to learn from that."

"Usually we've been good in those (end-of-game) situations because we talk about time and score," coach Natalie Nakase said. "But we also talk about not fouling and not giving up 3s and maintaining that lead. And so, unfortunately, we just didn't do that. So this is something we can definitely learn from."

Winning back-to-back games against the same opponent is not easy in this league. But it certainly would have been nice for Golden State to enter All-Star week with 10 consecutive victories.

Golden State still enters the break on a positive note. It owns the league's second-best record, something few analysts would have predicted just two short months ago.

Mystics 90, Valkyries 82

Percentages: FG .525, FT .810.

3-Point Goals: 9-21, .429 (Amoore 3-4, Onyenwere 3-7, Florez 1-1, Austin 1-2, Iriafen 1-2, Citron 0-1, Prosper 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 14. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 5 (Betts 4, Citron).

Turnovers: 16 (Amoore 4, Austin 4, Citron 3, Betts 2, Iriafen, Onyenwere, Prosper).

Steals: 4 (Austin, Citron, McMahon, Onyenwere).

Technical Fouls: McMahon, 1:16 third.

Percentages: FG .431, FT .727.

3-Point Goals: 12-33, .364 (Thornton 4-7, Burton 2-3, Chen 2-3, Charles 1-3, Zandalasini 1-3, Stokes 1-4, Salaun 1-6, Williams 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 4 (Stokes 2, Amihere, Charles).

Turnovers: 8 (Amihere 2, Burton 2, Williams 2, Chen, Thornton).

Steals: 10 (Burton 2, Thornton 2, Amihere, Charles, Chen, Salaun, Williams, Zandalasini).

Technical Fouls: None.

A: 18,064 (18,064). T: 2:02.

Just like in Golden State's 74-69 win Saturday against Washington, the game brought significant drama. There were 15 lead changes. The game was tied seven times. 

Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said pregame that the Valkyries' offense, predicated on a high dose of 3-pointers, left the heads of Washington's coaches' "spinning."

"They're so well-schooled in terms of how unselfish they are," Johnson said. "That's a credit to them in terms of how well they move the ball."

From the opening tip, Washington intentionally helped off corner shooters, rotating defenders up to the wing in an effort to shut down Valkyries drives. The strategy offered mixed results early - center Kiah Stokes, essentially left unguarded, missed her first two 3-point attempts, while Kayla Thornton,  Burton and Kaitlyn Chen drilled their first attempts to help Golden State get off to a 4-for-6 start from the perimeter. 

With nine long-range attempts by the end of the first quarter, the Valkyries trailed just 21-20. Chen provided a quick - and needed - spark off the bench in the first half, scoring seven points in her first six minutes. She did the same when the game was tight in the fourth, recording five points and an assist on consecutive plays to give Golden State a five-point cushion.

In the blink of an eye, Chen had scored 18 points, dished out six assists and delivered a +14 plus/minus in just 16 minutes. A graphic displaying this statline flashed on the jumbotron during a timeout midway through the final period, headlined "Bringing the Chenergy." Chase Center exploded for one of Golden State's fan favorites.

"She was fearless tonight," Nakase said. "I think I saw a step in that where she was attacking the rim, and then she's actually making really good rim reads when she got there because obviously they're trying to double her a little bit earlier to give the ball up."

But two missed free throws in the closing minutes put a damper on Chen's performance, who still ended the night with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

A wave of cold shooting hit Golden State in the second period. A 4-for-15 start put the Mystics ahead 30-26 for their then-largest lead. 

Things could have been much worse for the Valkyries in the first half, all things considered. Despite zero free-throw attempts and a sub-40% shooting mark, Golden State and Washington were neck-and-neck entering the break. The Mystics led 36-35.

Perhaps part of Golden State's struggles in getting to the free-throw line were connected to Washington's heavy help on drives. Another factor? The Mystics' interior size, highlighted by a pair of massive centers: 6-foot-5 Kiki Iriafen and 6-foot-7 rookie Lauren Betts. The two Stanford alums helped wall off the paint whenever the Valkyries ballhandlers did penetrate the first layer of defenders.

But the Valkyries didn't struggle to reach the free-throw line just two days earlier when these teams faced off. They got to the stripe 20 times, converting five more free throws than did Washington, which proved to be a decisive margin in a five-point victory.

After falling into an eight-point hole midway through the third Monday, the Valkyries went on one of their signature heaters. A 3-point barrage, that is.

Burton's triple came first. The next possession, it was Thornton. Then Kaila Charles capped the run, sending the crowd into a frenzy on a 3 that gave the Valkyries a 51-50 lead, their first of the quarter.

The Valkyries shot their first free throws late in the third quarter - five in a two-minute span - that helped give them hold a four-point lead entering the final period.

It looked like Golden State would claim its 10th straight win, but in the end, a young and scrappy Washington club escaped its Bay Area trip with one triumph.

"I don't think enough of us showed up today," Burton said. "I don't think many of us did. … Tough pill to swallow, but yeah, we'll enjoy this break. We'll come back fresh."

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