SAN FRANCISCO — A cold-shooting night didn’t stop the Golden State Valkyries from making history on Wednesday night.
In front of another sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center, the Valkyries defeated the Washington Mystics 76-74, marking their first win in franchise history.
Golden State (1-1) shot just 31.9% from the field and only 18.9% from behind the three-point line, but kept the high-scoring Mystics in check.
Veronica Burton did everything on the floor for Golden State, scoring 22 points, snatching nine rebounds and dishing out five assists. Kayla Thornton added 18 points.
“It’s more a credit to the players than myself,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Credit goes to our whole staff and credit to our players for stepping up.”
In her season debut, French forward Janelle Salaün scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds.
Washington guard Brittney Sykes led all scorers with 30 points. Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen, the former Stanford star, had her second consecutive double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
In a back-and-forth final quarter, the Valkyries were the ones who hit all the big shots.
A 3 from Burton with under two minutes left gave Golden State a one-point advantage. On the next possession, Thornton hit an and-one 3-pointer from the left corner to push the lead to five.
Burton officially closed the door on the Mystics (2-1) on a reload 3 from the left wing that made the score 73-66.
Despite making just two of its 20 3-point attempts in the first half, Golden State hung on to a 31-30 lead at the break after Burton hit a fading buzzer-beating 3.
Golden State made 11 of 14 shots at the free throw line and forced 10 turnovers. Salaün and Thornton each had seven points to lead Golden State at halftime.
Related Articles
Valkyries seek first win as unbeaten Washington Mystics visit Chase Center
What we learned from Valkyries’ season-opening loss to L.A. Sparks
Valkyries’ second-half comeback falls short as Golden State drops season opener to L.A. Sparks
Expansion Valkyries make history with WNBA opener at Chase Center
Bay Area vs. L.A.: Valkyries, Sparks to ignite California rivalry on WNBA’s opening night
In the second quarter, Golden State’s starting shooting guard Tiffany Hayes went back to the locker room after a collision with Washington forward Shakira Austin caused a bloody nose. She did not return.
Despite missing 11 3s in the first quarter, the Valkyries only fell behind three points after the first 10 minutes. Golden State started off in a matchup 2-3 zone that forced four first-quarter turnovers and held the Mystics to 37.5 % shooting from the field.
The Valkyries will hit the road for the next three games, starting with an away game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday.
“Games on the road are difficult, but I think it’s just about building off our momentum,” Burton said. “We had a lot of good things, but we also had a lot to learn from, and so we just take it one game at a time.
