Valkyries erase double-digit deficit, close preseason with win over Phoenix Mercury

Sunday s tournament against the Phoenix Mercury had an all-too-familiar feel for the Valkyries Much like Tuesday s loss to the Los Angeles Sparks Golden State had a sluggish first half in which they couldn t get anything going offensively The opposing association built a sizable lead early in the third quarter before the Valkyries stormed back to make things enthralling in the fourth And with minutes remaining the battle was going to be decided by which organization could execute down the stretch This time it was the Valkyries who hit the big shots Golden State erased a -point third-quarter deficit to beat the Mercury - on the road in its preseason finale After shooting just of from the three-point line in the first half the Valkyries made s in the final minutes of play The Valkyries ended Sunday s championship hitting of their -point attempts We like to come off a little bit cold Golden State coach Natalie Nakase declared I just have to figure out how to get them a little bit more warm in the beginning but I want them to continue to let it fly Migna Tour scored of her game-high points off the bench Starting forward Kayla Thornton had points five rebounds and four steals Guard Carla Leite chipped in points The Valkyries will open the season against the Sparks at Chase Center on Friday We put certain work together as a squad and that has made us grow everyday Tour announced I think in current times is an example of who we are improving to the end and continuing to push Phoenix opened the third quarter with a - run and seemingly looked to have complete control with the Valkyries starters checking out of the encounter for good But Golden State s bench unit led by Leite and Tour discovered solutions to knock down shots The Valkyries responded with a - run of their own to cut the Phoenix lead to three capped off by a Leite from the wing With seconds remaining in the period Tour knocked down a three of her own giving Golden State its first lead since the opening minute of the first quarter After an and- -pointer from Leite gave the Valkyries a two-point lead minutes into the fourth quarter the Bay Area gang never trailed again and closed the battle with veteran guard Julie Vanloo knocking down four consecutive free throws to ice the contest I think we shared the ball and uncovered open shots Leite noted when questioned what sparked the Valkyries second half comeback Tour makes affair for roster spot After playing sparingly in the Valkyries preseason opener Tour looked to be a long shot to make Golden State s final roster But after Sunday the French guard made things a lot tougher for Nakase and Golden State s front office Tour flashed her three-level scoring ability in the win and was the catalyst for the Valkyries comeback in the second half She shot from the field from beyond the arc and had a plus-minus rating of Golden State s roster at present sits at and will need to get cut to before Friday s season opener Related Articles Warriors coach Kerr lauds Kuminga s Tournament mulls Butler s minutes load Warriors defense comes and goes with Draymond Green in loss to Timberwolves Warriors claim they are not desperate after wasting vintage Playoff Jimmy performance Curry-less Warriors squander big nights from Butler Kuminga in Match loss Why WNBA veteran Kayla Thornton is built to lead expansion Valkyries Injury updates Guard Kate Martin missed Sunday s tournament with a hand injury Nakase mentioned Martin jammed her finger but doesn t consider the injury to be serious and kept the second-year guard out to be cautious Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini missed their second straight meeting and are considered day-to-day