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SAN FRANCISCO — After five days of rest, the Valkyries looked refreshed and replenished in their return to Chase Center.
Despite not having starters Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes, the Valkyries crushed the visiting Washington Mystics 99-62 in front of their 18th sellout crowd of 18,064.
The expansion team didn’t mess around as it built a 29-point lead by halftime behind a monster first half from Veronica Burton and a stingy defensive showing.
The Valkyries led by as much as 37 in the second half and cruised to their 20th win of the season.
Janelle Salaün led the Valkyries with 20 points and six rebounds.
Burton finished Saturday’s game with 15 points – all coming through the first two quarters – five rebounds and five assists. She played just two second-half minutes as the iron woman point guard got a much needed break on the first game of a back-to-back.
Rookie point guard Carla Leite returned after missing Sunday’s game against the Dallas Wings with a right ankle injury and scored 19 points and dished out six assists off the bench.
“We knew this game was very important,” Leite said. “We know how to play this team because we played them three times before. We executed the game plan and we shot the ball well.”
Five different players scored in double figures for the Valkyries as Kaila Charles had 16 points and Laeticia Amihere added 11.
Golden State held Washington’s dynamic rookie duo of Sonia Citron and Stanford alum Kiki Iriafen to a combined 20 points.
Golden State will play its final four home games this week and will host the Indiana Fever on Sunday. With six games left, the Valkyries can clinch a playoff spot if they get four more wins.
Defense steps up
The Valkyries came into Saturday’s game with the sixth-best defense in the league, but Golden State was utterly dominant in stopping Washington’s inside-out attack.
The Mystics shot just 35.9% from the field, and Golden State forced 15 turnovers that led to 19 points.
The Valkyries used a double post lineup consisting of defensive stalwart Temi Fágbénlé and stretch big Iliana Rupert to match Washington’s size. The lineup worked wonders as the Mystics had just 20 points in the paint.
In the last two matchups against the Mystics in the nation’s capital, Golden State conceded big leads and had to close out the game in the closing minutes. But the Valkyries left no doubt on Friday as their defensive consistency continued through the final two quarters.
“We had to make sure to defend without fouling because the way teams can get back into the game is if we foul them and we send them to the free throw line,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakasen said. “We can’t give them second chance points. So it was key that we won the rebounding battle, because again, we have a lead. You want to eliminate their possessions and I thought we did a great job.”
Balanced buckets
The Valkyries got scoring from multiple players.
Burton controlled the offense, but Charles found openings at the rim and on the perimeter. Salaün had an efficient night as she hit a barrage of perimeter shots, and Leite came was a consistent rim penetrator.
Out of the 10 players that checked into Saturday’s game, eight put a point on the board.
Golden State shot 54.1% from the field as a team.
Starters get much needed rest
It’s no secret that the Valkyries have played the last two weeks shorthanded.
Zandalasini and Hayes are arguably the team’s top scorers, but the expansion team has found a way to be just as productive without them on the floor.
Most of the Valkyries starters sat the entirety of the fourth quarter, giving chances to players like Leite and second-year guard Kate Martin to get some much needed time on the court in the midst of this playoff run.
Laeticia Amihere looks to have found her groove as an energy wing that could provide rim pressure and scoring in different lineups.
“(In games like this) we can maybe rest some players and let some players that usually don’t get a lot of minutes usually get on the court and join the party in a way,” Salaün said.
Originally Published: August 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM PDT
