The Valkyries of Golden State have tallied a second win against the Indiana Fever this season, realizing an 80-61 triumph on Wednesday at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This victory adds to the forward momentum of Golden State as they look forward to the final game of their four-game away stint, a clash with the Las Vegas Aces, who are currently at 9-10.
The midwestern battle saw Valkyries’ guard, Kate Martin, an alumna of the Iowa Hawkeyes, coming back to her root. The 6-foot tall guard was warmly received by fans, who came from far and wide to watch her dynamic encounter with former colleague, Caitlin Clark.
In their days at Iowa, Martin and Clark developed a strong camaraderie which resulted in consecutive Final Four and National Championship game appearances at the NCAA level. This shared success bridged over to an emotional moment when Clark was chosen first overall by Fever in the 2024 draft – a draft that saw Martin picked 18th by the Las Vegas Aces.
Post her debut season, Martin found herself being chosen by the Valkyries in the 2024 Expansion Draft. She has since cemented her place in the Bay Area team in her second year, demonstrating consistent performance throughout.
In what should have been Clark’s triumphant return post injury, Golden State took the wind out of the Fever’s sails with their significant win. This also meant that Martin remains unbeaten against her former teammate Clark, according to a record by Stat Muse.
Following her stellar performance against Atlanta Dream where she hit a notable 60% efficiency from the three-point line, Martin added five points from her 19 minutes on the court at the Indiana game on Wednesday.
An interesting clash awaits as Martin will face the prospect of another homecoming when the Golden State Valkyries meet her previous squad, the Las Vegas Aces, this upcoming Saturday. It’s sure to be a game filled with anticipation as players prepare to cross paths with old teammates.