The Golden State Valkyries upset defending champion New York Liberty 66-58 and sit two wins from a playoff berth. No expansion team in WNBA history has made the playoffs in its inaugural season. The Valkyries currently hold the No. 5 spot in the standings and can clinch with two wins or earlier with favorable results, such as a Los Angeles Sparks loss and a Valkyries win over the Dallas Wings. In the Liberty game, New York led 18-14 after the first quarter before the Valkyries rolled on a 23-7 second-quarter run and led by as many as 24. Three players scored in double digits, led by center Temi Fagbenle with 16 points. The Liberty nevertheless clinched a playoff spot because of Indiana's loss. The Valkyries drew a sellout crowd, their 20th of 20 regular-season home games.
No WNBA expansion team has ever made the playoffs in their first year, in the 29-year history of the women's basketball league. Your Golden State Valkyries are on the verge of becoming the first, after Tuesday night's unexpected 66-58 win over the defending champion New York Liberty, a game that was much more of a blowout than that score indicates.
The Chronicle points out that the Valkyries' magic number to make the playoffs is now two. That is, two more wins gets them in automatically, with four regular season games remaining. But they could clinch as early as tomorrow night at home if they get some help, after last night's win. This was only the second time in WNBA history that an expansion team has beaten the defending champions.
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