Win or go home: Valkyries face monumental Game 2 vs. Lynx

SAN JOSE The Valkyries season hangs in the balance Down - in their first-round series against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx Golden State faces a win-or-go-home Challenge at SAP Center on Wednesday The expansion band has lost each of its last five games against the Lynx and greater part in recent days suffered one of their worst losses of the season in Battle on Sunday in a -point defeat But while the Valkyries will be clear underdogs playing in an arena they haven t called home the gritty first-year gang is confident anything can happen in front of their favorable crowd It s win or die time Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase commented after Tuesday s practice We understand that but we ve been approaching it every event since the time we played the L A Sparks Aug and we made it a thing In order to make the playoffs it s a must win mentality We don t think of it potentially being our last we just think it s a must win And then we got to do our job Minnesota did their job at home and we got to take care of doing our job here at home It s a must win Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier right drives past Golden State Valkyries center Temi Fagbenle during the first half of an WBA basketball meeting Sunday Sept in Minneapolis AP Photo Craig Lassig With the season on the line the Valkyries will be playing in front of a sold out crowd on Wednesday night Golden State opted to stay in San Jose and held practice at SAP Center on Tuesday Here are three keys for the Valkyries going into Competition Stopping guard penetration While Napheesa Collier is the driving force of Minnesota s offense it s been the guard duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman also known as the viral steaming pair called the StudBudz that have given Golden State s vaunted defense problems Williams the steady floor general has a knack for finding a way to get into the paint to number or dish to shooters The veteran point guard is a threat to pull up from the -point line or in the mid-range as she has averaged points per challenge on shooting from the field and from the -point line Point guard Natisha Hiedeman has torched the Valkyries coming off the bench The sixth woman of the year candidate has scored and points in the last three games against the Valkyries and has routinely been the spark plug for Minnesota in stopping the Golden State s runs Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman reacts after making a three point shot against the Golden State Valkyries during the first half of an WBA basketball challenge Sunday Sept in Minneapolis AP Photo Craig Lassig On Sunday Hiedeman posted the second-highest plus-minus rating in Lynx postseason history with a We really need to try to be more solid on defense but as a unit Valkyries center Iliana Rupert declared Be more aware when to shift and try to help more Even if there s a lot of rotations at least not letting them get easy buckets So we saw all of that on the video and hopefully the subsequent day will get even better Make open looks This one is simple The Valkyries need to hit more shots After a hot start in which they hit nine of their first shots and five of their first eight -pointers in the first quarter the Valkyries finished the contest making just more field goal attempts In the five games the Valkyries played against the Lynx this season they shot just from the field and from beyond the arc A common thread in each of the five losses has been Golden State s inability to stop Minnesota when it gets on a roll The Valkyries have kept the championship close in spurts but the Lynx have unfailingly been able to deliver a crushing run that puts the meeting out of reach We have to respond better Valkyries shooting guard Kate Martin commented We have to know that basketball is about a meeting of runs and they re a really good association So they re gonna go on their runs We re gonna have to limit that as much as realizable and make adjustments quicker MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER Cecilia Zandalasini of the Golden State Valkyries shoots against Courtney Williams of the Minnesota Lynx during the first quarter in meeting one of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center on September in Minneapolis Minnesota NOTE TO USER User expressly acknowledges and agrees that by downloading and or using this photograph User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement Photo by Matt Krohn Getty Images A big factor going into Wednesday s challenge will be if the Valkyries could get consistent scoring out of sharpshooting forward Cecilia Zandalasini Zandalasini will be playing in her fourth championship since coming back from a calf injury that kept her sidelined for eight contests She shot just -of- from the field and -of- from the -point line on Sunday Related Articles Valkyries guard Veronica Burton wins WNBA the greater part improved award Valkyries Takeaways Natalie Nakase slams authorities after blowout loss to Lynx in Battle Valkyries overpowered by top-seeded Lynx in franchise s first WNBA playoff encounter Particular Valkyries owner Joe Lacob breaks down expansion gang s historic first season Valkyries lean on veteran experience ahead of first playoff meeting Play off the momentum of the crowd While the venue will be new the Valkyries have consistently shown that they are at their best when they could feed off the home crowd s capacity The Valkyries have not been worried about the change in location as they have faith the home crowd will come through Golden State Valkyries fans watch the action during the fourth quarter of their WBNA tournament against the New York Liberty at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Wednesday June Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group Someone reported me the arena is smaller than Chase Center but I m sure the fans are going to come through Valkyries rookie forward Janelle Sala n explained I just know the fans are going to come through and it s going to be amazing The Valkyries are - at home this season Notable Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase revealed that she was fined by the league after her comments regarding Battle s officiating The first-year coach mentioned she didn t know how much the fine was but mentioned she stands by what she mentioned I heard it s a tax write off Nakase reported I moved on We ve already talked about the new encounter plan offensively and defensively That s where I got to make sure my girls are at Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase reacts to a call during their contest against the New York Liberty in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco Calif on Tuesday Sept Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group