After a rough first half, the Phoenix Mercury tightened up their defense after the break and picked up a vital road win against the shorthanded Golden State Valkyries.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kahleah Copper scored 25 points with five 3-pointers, Satou Sabally scored 10 of her 17 points after halftime, and the Phoenix Mercury came back to beat the short-handed Golden State Valkyries 98-91 on Tuesday night.

San Francisco Standard columnist Tim Kawakami went to Sunday’s Valkyries game and reported on the fan atmosphere at Chase Center, which he said was “thrumming” even in the team’s worst home loss of the season. But buried in his reporting were two paragraphs about a brewing scheduling conflict with the Laver Cup, an international tennis tournament:

On Sunday night, the Atlanta Dream will travel west to take on the Golden State Valkyries in exciting WNBA play.

Playing the last-place Connecticut Sun, the Valkyries got off to a sluggish start Monday night but caught fire in the third quarter to cruise to a 74-57 win. Golden State shot 10-of-22 from the 3-point line in the second half and made 13 3s overall in a dominant win.

As they continue an impressive debut season in the WNBA, here's a look at what the Golden State Valkyries can do to make the playoffs in their first year.

The Golden State Valkyries' inaugural season has been one of the most successful expansion endeavors in recent American sports history. Not only are the Valkyri

Facing the physical and skilled Atlanta Dream, the Valkyries suffered their worst home loss since their season opener in a 79-63 defeat .

It’s beginning to feel a lot like the postseason. The WNBA has less than one month before the start of the playoffs, and the intensity kicked up a notch last week. Whether it was teams recognizing how little time is left to solidify playoff positioning or the aided boost of Rivals Week matchups,