Breaking down Valkyries’ gameplan that smothered Caitlin Clark: “Be physical” ...Middle East

SAN FRANCISCO – Going into Thursday’s game against the Indiana Fever at Chase Center, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase made sure that every single one of her players knew the scouting report on Fever phenom Caitlin Clark. 

That morning, veteran guard Veronica Burton recited it word for word. 

“The stepback, going left, is lethal but she’s also a three-level scorer who can get tot he rim and get to the midrange game,” Burton said. “So try to be physical, and disrupt as much as we can.”

Of course, every team in the league knows what Clark wants to do by now, and actually stopping her from torching defenses with generational shotmaking is another matter entirely. 

But that is what the Valkyries did, turning the scouting report solution into reality in an 88-77 win over Clark’s Fever. 

Golden State’s amorphous defense perplexed Clark into shooting 3 of 14 for just 11 points while whiffing on all seven of her 3-point attempts. 

It was the first time Clark had not made a triple in a game this season, her worst shooting game by percentage, and the lowest number of shots she had made in any game in 2025. 

Seven different players – from Kayla Thornton to Burton to rookie guard Carla Leite to former college teammate Kate Martin and others – spent time guarding at least one Clark attempt. 

So how did the league’s newest and most anonymous team douse the WNBA’s most feared flamethrower?

Well, it started with quick on-ball defense from wily stoppers, not just rough play. A sequence late in the fourth quarter was a perfect example of speed’s value. 

When Clark started a hard drive to her left with 8:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes slid her feet to cut off the drive. 

Clark’s next move – a sudden lunge backward as she gathered the ball to her right hand and prepared for a shot – has shaken and petrified most defenders in the league. But Hayes is not most defenders. 

The veteran defender already knew what was coming next …. and reacted perfectly. 

“We just followed the gameplan,” Hayes said matter-of-factly. “We knew we had to stay up on her.”

She slid forward in tandem with the second-year superstar, whose attempt to get away from the cat-quick veteran resulted in a triple-step tap-dance that was called for a travel.

“I actually didn’t see it, and all I saw was Tip (Hayes) just go like this,” Nakase said, throwing her arms up in celebration. “So I’m like, ‘It must have been a great defensive stop.’”

Quickness was their primary tool, but getting handsy with Clark was another weapon in Golden State’s arsenal. 

Sometimes, that resulted in free throws – six to be exact – but it often kept the Fever offense from finding its rhythm as their floor general was harassed. 

“We know that she doesn’t like physicality,” Nakase said. “We all know she wants to get to that left stepback … it’s almost like a layup to her.”

Their one-on-one defense was exceptional, but the Valkyries team defense was also on point. 

The Valkyries also committed multiple defenders to hounding Clark, often trapping her in the pick-and-roll and having a third defender floating in the area.

In the first half, Clark found fellow former No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston repeatedly on the roll, with the South Carolina legend scoring 15 points in the first half off a diet of layups. 

Boston scored just two more points in the second half, and Clark finished the game with nine assists but also six turnovers.

“We adjusted, and our low man was there, ready and early,” Nakase said.

An unheralded player helped make that adjustment possible. 

Laeticia Amihere continued to make the most of her second chance in the Bay Area by morphing into a dogged shotblocker and blocking four shots as a helpside eraser. 

Amihere’s excellence was no surprise to teammate Thornton, who credited the team’s nine-player rotation and newfound depth for helping lock down another star.

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Nneka Ogwumike scored just six points last week, reigning scoring champion A’ja Wilson had a quiet 16 points in the Valkyries’ recent demolition of the Aces. The Valkyries entered the game holding opponents to a league-best 30 points in the paint. 

So how is a roster full of unheralded players suddenly shutting down the best players in the world?

“We are all stars,” Thornton said. “We all bring something special to the team, and that’s  why we are the way we are, and why we’re succeeding way earlier than when people thought we would.”

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