‘We stayed composed’: Five takeaways from the Valkyries’ road win over the Sparks

After Friday s impressive - road win over the Los Angeles Sparks the Golden State Valkyries have now won consecutive games for the first time in franchise history Behind steady scoring from French rookies Janelle Sala n and Carla Leite the Valkyries built a lead as big as points in the second half Despite L A making a comeback in the fourth quarter the Valkyries hit enough free throws down the stretch to ice the win We had a -point lead but of discipline they were going to come back Sala n commented I think we were expecting them to have a run But we stayed composed and indicated we can close out games The Valkyries lost to the Sparks in their season opener just a week ago in a championship in which L A star Kelsey Plum dropped points in San Francisco On Friday Golden State held Plum to just points on -of- shooting The Valkyries pulled off the win shorthanded with starting guard Tiffany Hayes out with a nose injury and Monique Billings unavailable with a right ankle injury Unlike their first two games of the season the Valkyries - discovered a rhythm early in the challenge highlighted by their - start to the second quarter Leite led the Valkyries with points on -of- shooting Sala n had points of which came in the first half to go along with seven rebounds Here are five takeaways from Friday s win Leite finding her groove Leite has looked more confident in head coach Natalie Nakase s offense with each contest she plays Coming off the bench she hunted her shot early and often Leite scored all of her points in the first three quarters including nine in the third quarter alone She had a plus-minus rating of in minutes of play Friday s contest was a stark contrast to when the Valkyries played the Sparks a week ago when Leite had two points and three turnovers I think my first tournament I was very nervous you know so now I m more calm Leite disclosed So I think for that I m better Is Sala n Golden State s go-to scorer With Hayes out of the lineup the Valkyries were in desperate need of a contestant who could put pressure on the rim Sala n stepped into that role perfectly on Friday Sala n was aggressive from tip-off shooting an array of -pointers and mid-range shots while also getting in the paint for layups The -year-old forward plays much larger than her -foot- frame and indicated she can be a matchup nightmare on the wing or as a guard You can just see she s meant for this moment Nakase stated In a time when we need a bucket we re pretty confident with the ball in her hands She wants that responsibility Even when Hayes returns from injury Sala n could step in as the Valkyries leading scorer for the foreseeable future Where does Kate Martin fit Kate Martin has struggled with the Valkyries so far After starting in last week s season opener Martin hasn t logged more than minutes since She scored two points in that battle and didn t register any in Golden State s win over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday Martin was better against the Sparks on Friday scoring six points on two made s But she was on the floor for a total of minutes the least of any participant who checked in With injuries to Billings and Hayes Martin will have a chance to show she can be a regular piece to this rotation But with Leite Veronica Burton and veteran guard Julie Vanloo all showing that they fit the offense it will be an uphill battle for Martin to get consistent playing time Nakase however is confident that Martin whom she coached as an assistant in Las Vegas last year will show improvement as the season goes on I am very familiar with Kate so it s not about acclimating I just want her to be herself Nakase mentioned I recounted her in current times I gave her a big hug when we were in the warm-up lines and I announced I m your biggest fan and I ve dependably been your No fan because I know the type of sportsman that she is because of all the hard work that Kate puts in we re just trying to fit in with Kate to be honest Veterans made big plays down the stretch While Leite and Sala n did the bulk of Golden State s scoring veterans Burton and Kayla Thornton did all the little things to ensure the Valkyries left Los Angeles with a win Thornton didn t have the best shooting night but she totaled points and rebounds her sixth career double-double When the Sparks brought the lead down to just five late in the fourth quarter Thornton got fouled behind the -point line and knocked down all three free throws to push the lead back to eight Burton scored points and had a career-high five steals She drew the defensive assignment of guarding Plum early and held the three-time All-Star to an inefficient scoring night Related Articles Janelle Sala n Carla Leite shine as Valkyries beat Sparks to open trip What we learned from Valkyries first win in franchise history Former Stanford star Kiki Iriafen cherishes return to home away from home as WNBA rookie vs Valkyries History made Valkyries win first challenge in franchise history beating Washington Mystics in dramatic fashion Valkyries seek first win as unbeaten Washington Mystics visit Chase Center Nakase cherishes return to SoCal Friday s tournament was a homecoming for Nakase who went to high school at Marina High in Huntington Beach Nakase who spent years working for the Los Angeles Clippers and is a UCLA alum reported she had over people come to watch her coach back in her hometown When we were just flying over the city I was like Oh there s where I used to live and just everything comes back Nakase announced I mean obviously my dad just a lot of memories of my dad here and with the Clippers and everything It kind of gives me goosebumps