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Kate Martin took the floor on Friday as the Golden State Valkyries made their WNBA debut against the LA Sparks at the Chase Center. Starting alongside Kayla Thornton, Temi Fagbenle, Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes, Martin was part of the franchise's historic first game.
Former Iowa guard Martin didn’t have the franchise debut she had likely envisioned in the Valkyries’ first-ever WNBA game. The star guard struggled to find her footing offensively, missing all of her shot attempts throughout the night. Her continued offensive woes ultimately led the coach to keep her on the bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
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Martin finished with two points on 0 of 3 shooting from the floor, including 0 of 1 from beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 from the charity striple. She recorded one assist and one turnover in 20:37 minutes, while registering a plus/minus of -9.
Kate Martin falters on Golden State Valkyries debut
However, the star guard struggled to find her rhythm offensively. She went scoreless in the first half, failing to convert either of her two field goal attempts, including one from beyond the arc, and made minimal impact as a playmaker, recording just one assist and one turnover in 15:33 minutes.
Martin’s offensive woes continued into the second half. As Kelsey Plum delivered a scoring clinic in the third quarter, Martin was still searching for her first field goal. She attempted just one shot in the period and came up empty once again.
It wasn’t until later that Kate Martin finally got on the board, scoring her first points of the night from the free-throw line, her only contribution in the scoring column for the game.
Martin remained on the bench throughout the final quarter as her struggles in the first three periods led the coach to limit her minutes down the stretch. Ultimately, the LA Sparks cruised to a dominant 84-67 victory.
