Kate Martin Shares 2-Word Mindset from Career-High Night in Valkyries Loss to Liberty

"Nothing, really," added Martin, when asked postgame about her thought process during the tightly-fought contest. "Just get any air space you can and let it go. That's about it."

That proved to be a strong gameplan as Martin reached double figures for just the fourth time this season and surpassed the 20-point mark for the first time in her WNBA career.

After appearing for just four minutes in the first half, Martin was on the court to start the second half. Turns out, the switch was only made because veteran guard Tiffany Hayes was in the bathroom, as Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase revealed postgame.

The second-year guard took advantage of the opportunity, playing all 20 minutes of the second half, scoring 19 of her 21 points to help Golden State keep pace with the league's top offense.

Martin made herself a strong candidate for "Shot of the Year" in the process, heaving a fade-away three-pointer right over Marine Johannes to cut the Liberty lead to 1 with 11.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, a fitting accentuation on a career-best night.

After averaging just 2.6 PPG in her rookie campaign with the Las Vegas Aces, Martin has found herself in a larger role with the expansion Valkyries. Not to be overlooked, her production has also seen a leap.

"All her hard work in the offseason, it is now just coming to life," Nakase expressed, sharing that Martin committed herself to improving both her basketball and physical skills. "Credit to her for sacrificing her whole offseason, and now you guys are seeing the results."

While Martin saw her winter training yield strong on-court results, it didn't translate to the win column on Wednesday. Golden State managed to keep Sabrina Ionescu out of rhythm all night long and limited Breanna Stewart to 2 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to take down the reigning champs.

The Liberty are 3-0 against the Valkyries this season, but the gap is narrowing. After a 28-point blowout in the first meeting between the franchises, each of the last two contests have been decided by 5 points or less.

"We're close. We don't really care about being close. We want to win," Martin stated postgame. "We don't care if it's the reigning champs, we don't care who you are. Our goal is to win."

Golden State has done their fair share of winning already. 14 games into the season, the Valkyries sit 6th in the standings with a 7-7 record, far exceeding expectations for a team many pundits predicted to finish last in the WNBA.

With players like Martin thriving in expanded roles, the Valkyries are proving to be a tough out this year.